What virtual laboratory usage tells us about laboratory skill education pre- and post-COVID-19: Focus on usage, behavior, intention and adoption

A comparison of students' preferences for face-to-face and online laboratory sessions: insights from students' perception of their learning experiences in an immunology course

The COVID-19 global pandemic has prompted educators in universities to reconsider their teaching methods, mainly due to the social distancing measures imposed within the classroom settings. On the other hand, the growing importance of continuing education opportunities for adult learners after graduation has seen the need to transform traditional teaching modes that primarily depend on face-to-face interaction into virtual modes, which are deemed more time- and cost-efficient. These major shifts in social and economic developments have a significant impact on the evolution of curriculum planning in higher education. Education that has scientific inquiry components inevitably comes into question, as conventional beliefs that experiments should be hands-on and will not be as effective if conducted virtually cast doubts on the move to the online space. This paper discusses the background of an impending shift in a university's approach to more online-based laboratory classes in an immunology course, as well as the exploration of the potential of conducting online laboratory experiments based on student perceptions.

A review on cultivating effective learning: synthesizing educational theories and virtual reality for enhanced educational experiences

Immersive technology, especially virtual reality (VR), transforms education. It offers immersive and interactive learning experiences. This study presents a systematic review focusing on VR's integration with educational theories in higher education. The review evaluates the literature on VR applications combined with pedagogical frameworks. It aims to identify effective strategies for enhancing educational experiences through VR. The process involved analyzing studies about VR and educational theories, focusing on methodologies, outcomes, and effectiveness. Findings show that VR improves learning outcomes when aligned with theories such as constructivism, experiential learning, and collaborative learning. These integrations offer personalized, immersive, and interactive learning experiences. The study highlights the importance of incorporating educational principles into VR application development. It suggests a promising direction for future research and implementation in education. This approach aims to maximize VR's pedagogical value, enhancing learning outcomes across educational settings.

Application of flipped classroom combined with virtual simulation platform in clinical biochemistry practical course

BACKGROUND

The study explores an innovative teaching mode that integrates Icourse, DingTalk, and online experimental simulation platforms to provide online theoretical and experimental resources for clinical biochemistry practical courses. These platforms, combined with flipped classroom teaching, aim to increase student engagement and benefit in practical courses, ultimately improving the effectiveness of clinical biochemistry practical teaching.

METHODS

In a prospective cohort study, we examined the impact of integrating the Icourse and DingTalk platforms to provide theoretical knowledge resources and clinical cases to 48 medical laboratory science students from the 2019 and 2020 grades. Students were assigned to the experimental group using an overall sampling method, and had access to relevant videos through Icourse before and during class. Using a flipped classroom approach, students actively participated in the design, analysis, and discussion of the experimental technique. For the experimental operation part, students participated in virtual simulation experiments and actual experiments. Overall, the study aimed to evaluate students' theoretical and operational performance after completing the practical course. To collect feedback, we distributed a questionnaire to students in the experimental group. For comparison, we included 42 students from the grades of 2017 and 2018 who received traditional instruction and were evaluated using standard textbooks as the control group.

RESULTS

The experimental group scored significantly higher than the control group on both the theoretical and experimental operational tests (82.45 ± 3.76 vs. 76.36 ± 3.96, P = 0.0126; 92.03 ± 1.62 vs. 81.67 ± 4.19, P < 0.001). The survey revealed that the experimental group preferred the teaching mode that combined the flipped classroom with the virtual simulation platform. This mixed method effectively promoted understanding of basic knowledge (93.8%, 45/48), operative skills (89.6%, 43/48), learning interest (87.5%, 42/48), clinical thinking (85.4%, 41/48), self-learning ability (91.7%, 44/48), and overall satisfaction compared with traditional methods (P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that an innovative teaching approach significantly improves the quality of clinical biochemistry practical courses and promotes students' professional development and self-directed learning habits.

CONCLUSION

Incorporating virtual simulation with flipped classrooms into clinical biochemistry practical teaching is an efficient and well-received alternative to traditional methods.

Mechanical-acoustical analogy: From laboratory to home during the COVID-19 pandemic

A clear comprehension of the oscillatory nature of sound for acoustics undergraduate students is of paramount importance. In this paper, two online experiments were implemented to aid teaching of the oscillatory nature of sound through the analogy between a mechanical mass-spring model and a Helmholtz resonator. The study was conducted among undergraduate students taking a science course in the Electronic and Electrical Engineering career curriculum. These in-class experiments were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic via the Zoom platform. Students measured the Helmholtz resonant frequency of a plastic bottle with a smartphone application and compared its oscillatory behavior with that of a conventional harmonic oscillator under a professor-student collaborative environment. The results of this study suggest that, with careful experiment design, students can effectively benefit from the use of common technology tools, which, in turn, poses these methodologies as a rather satisfactory alternative to face-to-face laboratory sessions.

Change and challenge: An online course in Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

The development of information technology and portable devices has sparked a revolution in the field of education, facilitating access to diverse educational resources and lifelong learning. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition from face-to-face to distance teaching, which requires online education to be provided worldwide. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology are key basic medical courses in laboratory-based science that cover complicated theories and applications. The balance between traditional and online courses, and the effectiveness of online courses, are fundamental to the teaching quality of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In this study, we explored the concepts, designs, and practices of a new blended online course and identified potential challenges. We hope that our experiences will provide new ideas for online teaching and promote teaching reform and the development of Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology education.

Effect of science virtual laboratory combination with demonstration methods on lower-secondary school students' scientific literacy ability in a science course

Virtual laboratory is computer software that has the ability to perform mathematical modeling of computer equipment presented in the form of simulations. Virtual laboratory is not a substitute for real laboratory, but are used to complement and improve the weaknesses of real laboratory. This study aims to determine the effect of virtual laboratory combination with demonstration methods on lower-secondary school students' scientific literacy ability in a science course. The design of this research is quasi-experimental. The sample in this study was 102 students (12-14 years old) in a lower-secondary school in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, used as experiment 1 group 1 (n = 34), experiment 2 group (n = 34), and control group (n = 34). The three groups (experiment 1, experiment 2, and control) were tested with pretest and posttest. Experiment 1 group used virtual laboratory combination with demonstration methods, experiment 2 group used only virtual laboratory, and the control group used only a demonstration method. Scientific literacy ability was measured using multiple-choice tests before and after treatment. Statistical tests on mixed methods ANOVA were used to determine how effective the use of virtual laboratory combination with demonstration methods was in improving scientific literacy ability. The research result based tests of Within-Subjects Effects showed that there is a difference between the pretest-posttest scores of scientific literacy ability (F = 10.50; p < 0.05) in each group. The results based pairwaise comparison show that the significance value is <0.05, and there is a significant increase in the pretest-posttest scores of scientific literacy ability in every group. The result of effect size (partial eta squared) shows that the experiment 1 group to increase scientific literacy ability is 84.5%; experiment 2 group is 78.5%; control group is 74.3%. So, it can be concluded that experiment 1 group (virtual laboratory combination with demonstration methods) provides the most effective contribution to improving scientific literacy ability when compared to experiment 2 group virtual laboratory only) and control group (demonstration methods only).

Understanding intention and use of digital elements in higher education teaching

Digital elements are being increasingly used in higher education teaching, but the intention and their actual use vary depending on the lecturers. We used the reasoned action approach to understand the beliefs and intentions behind the use of digital elements in this context. We conducted a quantitative survey in which university lecturers shared their intention concerning the use of digital learning elements and indicated their actual use. The results confirm the influence of attitude, perceived norms, and perceived behavioral control on the intention to use digital learning elements. However, we also identified an intention-behavior gap: Only one-time effort to become familiar with digital elements has a significant impact on actual usage. We conclude that, above all, teachers must first be given the opportunity to become familiar with digital learning elements to be able to use them effectively. Understanding why such an intention-behavior gap exists should be the aim of future studies.

Analysis of hot spots and frontiers of nursing scenario simulation teaching research at home and abroad

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the research hotspots and trends of nursing scenario simulation teaching at home and abroad, and to provide reference for future nursing talent education.

METHODS

CNKI and Web of Science databases were searched. From the establishment of the database to April 2022, relevant literature on nursing scenario simulation teaching research at home and abroad was retrieved, and Cite Space software was used for visual analysis.

RESULTS

The research focus on China was the application and application effect of nursing scenario simulation teaching. The research hotspots abroad are the quality evaluation, reliability and influence of nursing scenario simulation teaching.

CONCLUSION

The research and development of nursing scenario simulation teaching gradually tend to be systematic.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on undergraduate and postgraduate students: A cross-sectional survey

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many facets of life. This study focuses on undergraduate and postgraduate students in China to explore how the pandemic has affected health status, daily life, learning situations, graduation-related situations, and their studies or work planning.

Methods

This study sent online questionnaires to 2,395 participants to investigate the extent to which they were affected by the epidemic in the various aspects mentioned above and to understand what help they tend to get in the face of these effects.

Results

A total of 2,000 valid questionnaires were collected. The physical health of 82.90% of the respondents was affected to varying degrees, with male students, non-medical students, and graduates being more affected than female students, students with medical majors, and non-graduates, respectively. The proportion of students affected by mental health, the total amount of physical exercise, emotional life, and interpersonal communication was 86.35, 88.65, 80.15, and 90.15%, respectively. Compared with medical students and non-graduates, non-medical students and graduates were more affected. In addition, students' learning and graduation conditions have also been affected to a certain extent: 13.07% of students may not be able to graduate on time, and the proportion of postgraduate students' graduations affected was higher than that of undergraduate students.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health status of students, their daily lives, learning situations, and so on to varying degrees. We need to pay attention to the issues, provide practical solutions, and provide a basis for better responses to similar epidemics in the future.

3DVL@ES

This paper introduces a virtual laboratory that aims to support the quick development and easy assimilation of practical works by learners and exchange documents between them via a shared virtual space. The proposed laboratory, named 3DVL@ES (web-based 3D virtual laboratory in experimental science), defines an agile design process to automatically generate 3D pedagogical web applications and provide very appreciable interactivity, flexibility, and collaboration for practical works development. Also, 3DVL@ES includes the specification of learners' interactions and collaborations on a unified application model to assist and automate the creation of new 3D interfaces related to practical work in experimental sciences. 3DVL@ES has been applied in a real case study of Daniel's Battery. The obtained results have been compared with other virtual laboratories to show the usefulness of 3DVL@ES. Experimental results show that 3DVL@ES laboratory easily achieves complex practical works with the integration of cooperation and collaboration aspects.

A Comparison of Real and Virtual Laboratories for Pharmacy Teaching

New approaches to teaching and learning in the tertiary setting offer students flexibility for learning and, in a pandemic, suggests ways to provide learning when face-to-face delivery cannot be conducted. Courses that contain a hands-on laboratory component can be resource intensive in terms of equipment, staff, and facilities, thus more difficult to deliver when hands-on laboratory work is precluded. This study developed two virtual laboratories that could be completed online and, using a crossover design, evaluated student learning outcomes from virtual and real laboratory activities for 57 students. It also gained student feedback on their learning experiences. Overall, student knowledge increased significantly for each topic after completing either the virtual or real laboratory activities. However, no significant difference in learning was observed when outcomes from virtual or real laboratories were compared. Feedback from students indicated that most students found online modules easier to follow, they provided better background information, and would be revisited, but real laboratories were more interesting. Reinforcing learning, understanding, and remembering processes were reportedly similar for both, indicating no negative impact when a virtual laboratory was used. This study provides supporting evidence for the use of virtual laboratories where the focus is on learning concepts and not on student proficiency at operating laboratory equipment.

Virtual Laboratories- A historical review and bibliometric analysis of the past three decades

Online and virtual teaching-learning has been a panacea that most educational institutions adopted from the dire need created by COVID-19. We provide a comprehensive bibliometric study of 9523 publications on virtual laboratories in higher education covering the years 1991 to 2021. Influential bibliometrics such as publications and citations, productive countries, contributing institutions, funders, journals, authors, and bibliographic couplings were studied using the Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews (SPAR-4-SLR) protocol. A new metric to complement citations called Field Weighted Citation Impact was introduced that considers the differences in research behavior across disciplines. Findings show that 72% of the research work was published between 2011-and 2021, most likely due to digitalization, with the highest number of publications in 2020-2021 highlighting the impact of the pandemic. Top contributing institutions were from the developed economies of Spain, Germany, and the United States. The citation impact from publications with international co-authors is the highest, highlighting the importance of co-authoring papers with different countries. For the first time, Altmetrics in the context of virtual labs were studied though a very low correlation was observed between citations and Altmetrics Attention Score. Still, the overall percentage of publications with attention showed linear growth. Our work also highlights that virtual laboratory could play a significant role in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG4-Quality Education, which largely remains under-addressed.

Microbiology Laboratory Simulations: From a Last-Minute Resource during the Covid-19 Pandemic to a Valuable Learning Tool to Retain-A Semester Microbiology Laboratory Curriculum That Uses Labster as Prelaboratory Activity

As educators, we strive to provide the best delivery method to improve our students' learning experience. The Covid-19 shutdown posed an incredible challenge by forcing us to redesign the way we teach with no time to prepare. Bringing the laboratory curriculum outside the lab was one of the most challenging tasks. Instructors got creative, adopting safe, at-home laboratory experiments, at-home kits bought from distributors, and relying on online simulations. Now that we are returning to face-to-face meetings, the experience gained during the lockdown can be harnessed and used as extra tools available for our students' learning experience. Online simulations gained attention during the lockdown and turned out to be of great value, with different studies reporting on improved students' experiences following the use of simulations. This paper outlines how to incorporate Labster simulations in an in-person microbiology semester for undergraduate students.

Reconfigurable Wireless Sensor Node Remote Laboratory Platform with Cloud Connectivity

Thanks to the recent rapid technological advancement in IoT usage, there is a need for students to learn IoT-based concepts using a dedicated experimental platform. Furthermore, being forced into remote learning due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need for innovative learning methods. From our perspective, a learning platform should be reconfigurable to accommodate multiple applications and remotely accessible at any time, from anywhere, and on any connected device. Considering that many of the university courses are now held online, the reliability and scalability of the system become critical. This paper presents the design and development of a wireless configurable myRIO-based sensor node that connects to SystemLink Cloud. The sensors that were used are for ambient light, temperature, and proximity. A graphical programming environment (G-LabVIEW) and related APIs were used for rapid concept-to-development process. Distinct applications have been developed for the instructor and students, respectively. The students can select which sensor and application to run on the system and observe the measurements on the local student’s application or the cloud platform at a specific moment. They can also read the data on the cloud platform and use them in their LabVIEW application. In the context of remote education, we strongly believe that this platform is and will be suitable for the COVID and Post-COVID eras as well because it creates a much better remote laboratory experience for students. In conclusion, the system that was developed is innovative because it is software reconfigurable from the device, from the instructor’s application and cloud via a web browser, it is intuitive, and it has a user-friendly interface. It meets most of the necessary requirements in the current era, being also highly available and scalable in the cloud.

Acquisition and User Behavior in Online Science Laboratories before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the closure of schools at every level, globally, forcing education to move online. Meeting the needs of students online for Science Lab classes, in particular, is a challenge since the physical labs are not available to the teachers or students. OLabs is a virtual Science Lab providing a complete learning environment of theory, experimental procedures, videos, animations, simulations, and assessments that capture real lab experiences with the relevant pedagogy. This study looks at the acquisition and behaviors of users, on the OLabs platform, during pre and COVID-19 times. Using Google Analytics, we observe that, during the pandemic time, users increasingly adopted OLabs as a new learning pedagogy for performing experiments as indicated by parameters like the number of users; the number of unique pages viewed per session; time spent on viewing content; bounce rate; and preference for content types such as theory, simulations, videos, and animations.