The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Labs

What are virtual labs?

Wondering if a virtual lab is a good fit for you and your classroom? Then you’ve come to the right place. First of all, a virtual lab, or immersive learning experience, is a visual simulation that is most effective in the science and engineering fields. They are high-interest scenarios and experiments for students to get hands-on experiences with scientific tools virtually. These immersive learning experiences are designed to allow students to practice their lab skills in a virtual environment.

Experiential learning is most effective in the science and engineering fields where experiments and hands-on activity take place most frequently. While this is a daunting idea, hopefully, this will help ease your mind and help you decide what is best for you and your students.

 

Importance of Virtual Labs in Education

Schools face pressure to provide engaging, equitable, and effective science learning experiences while grappling with shrinking budgets, safety concerns, and the push for tech-enabled solutions. Virtual labs address these challenges head-on, offering a future-ready solution that goes beyond traditional learning methods.

1. Enhancing Learning Through Visual and Interactive Elements

Virtual labs make abstract scientific concepts tangible, engaging students with visual and interactive tools that deepen comprehension. But their true power lies in their adaptability. Unlike traditional labs, virtual labs can simulate real-world scenarios that would otherwise be impossible to recreate.

Virtual labs allow students to conduct experiments that simulate phenomena too dangerous, expensive, or complex for physical labs. For example, students can manipulate radioactive isotopes to study half-life or explore the inner workings of a cell through immersive 3D simulations. These experiences connect classroom learning to the real-world challenges scientists tackle daily.

Schools are seeing a decline in student engagement with science due to its perceived complexity. Virtual labs cater to Gen Z and Alpha learners’ digital preferences, drawing them in with interactive, game-like environments that promote active participation.

2. Making Science Accessible to Every Student

Digital accessibility gives every student the opportunity to engage meaningfully with the curriculum. Virtual labs eliminate barriers like outdated equipment, limited lab time, and geographical constraints.

Virtual labs are increasingly designed with inclusivity in mind. For instance, they incorporate features like screen readers, adjustable interfaces, and scaffolded instruction to support diverse learners, including those with disabilities or limited English proficiency.

With rising concerns about equity in education, particularly in underfunded schools, virtual labs provide an affordable way to level the playing field. Whether it’s a rural school with no access to a physics lab or an urban classroom with overcrowded facilities, virtual labs ensure that every student gets hands-on experience in science.

3. Leveraging Virtual Tools for Better Understanding

Many students struggle with foundational concepts in science because traditional methods don’t provide real-time feedback or opportunities for iterative learning. Virtual labs solve this problem through guided experimentation and diagnostic tools.

Some virtual labs now incorporate AI and machine learning to analyze students’ actions and offer tailored guidance. For instance, if a student repeatedly connects a circuit incorrectly, the software might provide targeted hints or a micro-tutorial on electrical resistance.

Teacher shortages and overburdened staff are a growing concern in schools. Virtual labs act as invaluable teaching assistants, allowing students to explore independently while ensuring they receive immediate support and corrective feedback when needed.

 

The Pros of Virtual Labs

Simulations Provide Real Life Scenarios

Simulations in virtual labs provide access to students using real life scenarios. First of all, students can practice different skills that are necessary for a practical, hands-on lab before actually putting their hands on expensive equipment. They can then in turn take those practical skills to a physical lab experiment based on their virtual lab experience. Students may even be able to get a better understanding of their results virtually.

Euan Douglas and Ramrajiv Rajendram explain that in a lab simulation students were better able to understand how to use a thermometer when measuring the boiling point of five separate alkanes better than using the actual thermometer.

Secondly, when using a virtual lab, students are also able to see how different apparatuses are supposed to work before trying the physical apparatus in class.

Imagine that students are looking at different chemical reactions. Students can practice using the different compounds and see how they are supposed to interact before physically putting the compounds together. Then if the compounds do not act that way when the students physically put them together, they will know something is wrong and be able to work out how to fix the problem.

Lastly, students will most likely be using some type of immersive learning or training for their jobs post-secondary. For example, firefighters, doctors, and even electricians can use a virtual lab to practice their craft, so using a virtual lab will make them more comfortable using that type of technology in the future.

Simulations Provide Real Life Scenarios

Simulations in virtual labs provide access to students using real life scenarios. First of all, students can practice different skills that are necessary for a practical, hands-on lab before actually putting their hands on expensive equipment. They can then in turn take those practical skills to a physical lab experiment based on their virtual lab experience. Students may even be able to get a better understanding of their results virtually.

Euan Douglas and Ramrajiv Rajendram explain that in a lab simulation students were better able to understand how to use a thermometer when measuring the boiling point of five separate alkanes better than using the actual thermometer.

Secondly, when using a virtual lab, students are also able to see how different apparatuses are supposed to work before trying the physical apparatus in class.

Imagine that students are looking at different chemical reactions. Students can practice using the different compounds and see how they are supposed to interact before physically putting the compounds together. Then if the compounds do not act that way when the students physically put them together, they will know something is wrong and be able to work out how to fix the problem.

Lastly, students will most likely be using some type of immersive learning or training for their jobs post-secondary. For example, firefighters, doctors, and even electricians can use a virtual lab to practice their craft, so using a virtual lab will make them more comfortable using that type of technology in the future.

Special Equipment Access Gained in Virtual Labs

Using experiential learning provides students with access to the most up-to-date tools. Schools can even use these simulations to give students practice with devices that they may not otherwise have access to within their schools or budgets.

Virtual labs also keep students safe. They can practice dissection and other more dangerous activities while not cutting or endangering themselves. In Biology classes, students can dissect larger animals that they may not be able to have within the physical classroom. Physics students can experiment with apparatus that they don’t have at school or that are more advanced.

Immersive Learning Adds Flexibility

One of the biggest pros of using virtual labs is flexibility, especially in a post-pandemic world. With students being quarantined for long periods of time, the use of a simulation can allow students to keep pace at home with their classmates who are in school. They can even still collaborate with their classmates on projects because they will have access to the same information and tools.

Students also work at different rates, so instead of having one teacher who is constantly being called from one student or group to another, the simulation can also help students figure out their questions and problems. This can free up the teacher to be more hands-on with students who need extra help instead of feeling constantly pulled around the room and feeling like they haven’t helped everyone.

 

The Considerations of Virtual Labs

Virtual Labs May Lack Human Connection

Envision walking into an engineering class to see each student on their own device, fully engaged with the immersive learning experience on their own device. While it is great to see them invested in what they are doing, there is a lack of connection and communication with their classmates.

For students who are already overly invested in technology, virtual labs don’t allow for in-person connection as much as working on a physical experiment or project in class. Teachers can combat this in numerous ways including group work and connecting with others by commenting or even connecting with students around the globe.

Simulations Have a Steep Learning Curve

Like any new piece of technology, there is a learning curve. Teachers, as well as students, have to learn how to use these simulations. And in a technology-driven world, it can feel like one more thing for teachers to learn in order to be able to share it with their students. This idea can be intimidating for both teachers and students, but working together with colleagues, other students, and your IT department can make the transition easier.

Immersive Learning Still Needs Hands-on Learning

While allowing students to get their hands on materials and experiments that may not be accessible within the classroom, they may miss out on learning how to use those everyday tools within the classroom. For example, weighing different objects and amounts in person shows students not only how to weigh them but also what that amount or object feels like. Rocks and minerals while weighing the same may be larger or smaller in size than another with the same weight.

So, if you are planning on using virtual labs, you should identify the skills necessary for students to be able to use in the classroom and the future and then make sure you work on those skills outside of a virtual lab.