All Case Studies & Success Stories
Yavapai College
How Yavapai Boosted Online Completion 14 Percentage Points
Yavapai College, a rural community college in Northern Arizona, was facing a significant gap in completion rates between its online and face-to-face microbiology course, BIO 205. Not only were online students withdrawing, but the cost and logistical limitations of home lab kits created an inequitable learning experience. With over 66% of its student population enrolled in this gateway course, closing the gap mattered deeply.
The college implemented Labster virtual labs, which provide a convenient, consistent, and repeatable resource for learners and a scalable, cost-effective solution for the institution. Each student receives immediate access once enrolled—without the delays and inconsistencies of home kits – ensuring a smoother, more equitable learning experience.
“Labster gives students a chance to learn by doing, and then do it again. You can’t do that with a home lab kit.”
“Like many institutions, from summer 2022 through spring 2025, we had a mix of full-time and adjunct instructors teach this course [microbiology]. Student success was likely impacted by the variety of instructors. Labster became a bulwark against that factor…Labster is a kind of digital co-instructor that ensures students are getting access to the same high-quality, engaging content regardless of who’s teaching the course.”
“For our students, science courses are the gateway. If they don’t succeed in microbiology, they don’t get into the nursing program. If they don’t get into the nursing program, they can’t access in-demand, living wage jobs. Labster is helping support our strategic priorities of student success in online learning and workforce development.”
“In Fall 2023, online sections without Labster had a 66% completion rate. In Fall of 2024, sections using Labster jumped to 80%, which was equal to the in-person classes. That’s a 14-point increase. The equality of outcomes between online learning and in-person sections established by Labster integration in fall 2024 persisted in the spring 2025 semester, which helped us isolate the effect.”
“Labster gives students a chance to learn by doing, and then do it again. You can’t do that with a home lab kit.”
“I went to our Dean and showed the numbers. Labster came in within 10% of the cost of the home lab kits we’d been using. That price point, combined with the positive student success data, made it easier to get buy-in. I framed it like this: with Labster, you’re not only getting comparable costs, you’re also getting something repeatable and scalable.”
See our plan options, learn more about virtual labs, and find out how easy it is to get started with Labster.
.jpeg)
