Built for Scale

Labster is designed to deliver consistent, high-quality lab experiences to every student — across sections, campuses, and modalities — without the cost and logistical limits of physical labs or at-home lab kits.

• Trusted by 2,000+ institutions spanning community colleges, universities, and fully online programs.
• Consistent delivery at volume. In an analysis drawn from a population of 151,552 students across U.S. colleges and universities (schools with at least 500 simulation plays between Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 4, 2023), 74%–82% of students were highly engaged, completing labs multiple times on average and achieving quiz scores of 92%–100%.
• Cost-effective by design. In one institutional cost comparison at Yavapai College, Labster came in within 10% of the home lab kits the college had been using, while adding repeatability and scale that kits can't match.
• Enterprise-ready and secure. Labster integrates with major LMS platforms, including Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, and D2L, with automatic gradebook syncing, and is SOC 2 compliant to simplify IT approval.

"I framed it like this: with Labster, you're not only getting comparable costs, you're also getting something repeatable and scalable." — Richard Pierce, EdD, IT Systems Client Relationship Manager, Yavapai College

Proven Impact on Student Outcomes

Virtual lab simulation is an effective learning intervention that has a measurable impact on learning outcomes. Importantly, research also shows that learning outcomes improve most when virtual lab simulations and traditional teaching methods are combined (Bonde et al, 2014).

Completion and retention

• +14 percentage points in online completion at Yavapai College. After implementing Labster, the online completion rate in gateway microbiology (BIO 205) jumped from 66% to 80% in a single year, matching in-person sections. The gain persisted into the following semester, helping isolate Labster's effect.
• DFW rates decreased 34% across three pairs of courses over multiple semesters in a study with LXD Research at a large university in Texas.
• Course pass rates increased 16% after Labster was introduced at the University of Eastern Finland.

Academic performance and knowledge gains

• 89% of students demonstrated measurable knowledge gains on pre- and post-assessments after completing Labster virtual labs (University of Toronto graduate-level genetics training, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education).
• Significantly greater academic improvement than peers who did not use simulations, in a quasi-experimental study of 315 students at Universidad de Las Américas (Frontiers in Education).
• 19% higher test grades for microbiology students who learned with Labster versus traditional methods at Thomas Jefferson University.
• Final course grades rose from a C- to a B at Fisk University, and final exam grades rose from a D+ to a B- (with course grades from a C+ to a B) at San José State University after using Labster.
• 94% of Alamance Community College microbiology students said they gained domain knowledge and confidence in their lab skills, and felt better prepared for in-person labs.

“In all our correlation models, we observed that Labster had a strong influence on students' learning output. Labster provides the best virtual environment with experiments that motivate students and pedagogically meaningful tasks that result in meaningful learning." — Vesa Paajanen, Senior Lecturer in Animal Physiology, University of Eastern Finland

“‘Can we demonstrate that the students are meeting course outcomes?’ Check! We can do that.” — Kyle Hammon, Biology Instructor, Wenatchee Valley College

Keeping Learners on the STEM Pathway

For many students, gateway science courses determine whether they continue toward a STEM degree and career. The evidence shows Labster measurably increases students' intent to persist in STEM, especially when virtual labs are assigned before the in-person lab.

• 5x more likely to plan additional STEM courses, and 4x more likely to plan to work in a STEM field, when virtual lab assignments occurred before the in-person lab (Schechter, Chase, Shivaram & Staeps; Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning; 188 students, multi-year implementation study).
• Gateway courses are pathway gates. At Yavapai College, success in microbiology is the prerequisite for entry into the nursing program, and, ultimately, access to living-wage healthcare careers.

"For our students, science courses are the gateway. If they don't succeed in microbiology, they don't get into the nursing program... Labster is helping support our strategic priorities of student success in online learning and workforce development." — Richard Pierce, EdD, Yavapai College

"Labster keeps me excited because I can imagine myself in my chosen career." — Student survey response

Confidence and Self-Efficacy Increase with Virtual Labs

Research shows virtual lab simulations positively influence learners' self-efficacy and confidence in performing laboratory activities (Kolil et al., 2020), an effect especially pronounced for Labster (Coleman & Smith, 2019; Makransky et al., 2016).

• 90% of 600+ students across five Irish institutions agreed that Labster virtual labs enhanced their confidence with experimental science (Dundalk Institute of Technology and partners, Advances in Physiology Education).
• 85% of 352 undergraduate students at UNAB felt more confident as learners, and more than 90% wanted to keep using Labster as a pre-lab assignment (Education Sciences).
• Nearly 65% of surveyed students reported greater confidence entering in-person lab sessions after using Labster (mixed-methods perception study, 352 students, 88% response rate).
• 91% of students at Thomas Jefferson University said they felt more confident about doing real labs after using Labster.

"Many first-year students come to the university without a solid science background. They are very fearful and anxious about doing the real lab experiments. Labster has helped us with all of this." — Dr. Cristina Navarro, Academic Secretary, Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad Andrés Bello (UNAB)

Engagement and Motivation Rise with Virtual Labs

Virtual lab simulations engage students more effectively than traditional methods (Chan, 2021), feeding curiosity and motivating exploration.

• Across the 151,552-student sample, 74%–82% of students were highly engaged, completing labs multiple times and scoring 92%–100% on quizzes.
• Among 352 UNAB students: 87% said Labster motivated them to learn, 84% reported increased interest in the course, and 81% said it improved their class participation.
• 91% of students at Thomas Jefferson University said Labster was engaging.

"When students experience the gamification of Labster, they are engaged, they are excited, they are motivated to learn, which makes your job as a teacher that much easier." — Diane Sigalas, Biotechnology Teacher, Livingston High School

"For non-science majors to come and tell a biology professor, 'We love this, this is fun, this is interesting,' it's great... Happy student, happy teacher." — Perla Atiyah, Associate Professor of Biology, American University of Bahrain

Instructors Save Time and Standardize Quality

Assigning virtual labs as pre-labs accelerates in-lab learning, freeing instructors to expand curriculum, keep sections in sync, or spend more time with students while ensuring every section receives the same high-quality experience.

"Labster helps me add more face-to-face labs because it speeds things up." — Eddy van Hunnik, Bioscience and Biotechnology Instructor, Alamance Community College

"My favorite thing is that I have more time to talk with students. They concentrate on their virtual labs with high motivation and I can talk to them easily and more extensively." — Matthias Polte, Biology Teacher, RHG Krefeld

Active Learning, Safe Practice, and Learning from Mistakes

Labster's interactive design supports active learning strategies and lets students make decisions, test hypotheses, and observe consequences safely and repeatably.

• Interactive virtual lab simulations can be more effective than passive methods such as lecture, text, and video (Chan, 2021).
• Immediate feedback lets students correct misconceptions without fear of damaging equipment or injuring themselves (Kolil et al., 2020).

"Labster gives students a chance to learn by doing, and then do it again. You can't do that with a home lab kit." — Richard Pierce, EdD, Yavapai College

"Students can make mistakes, they learn from those mistakes, and they receive constant guidance from the virtual assistant." — Donald Wlodkowic, Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Toxicology, RMIT University

Research Designed for Academic Rigor

Labster's impact has been evaluated through multiple research designs across diverse institutional contexts — quasi-experimental studies, matched cohort analyses, longitudinal implementation, perception surveys and focus groups, and statistical modeling — in collaboration with independent researchers and partner institutions.

• Diverse methodological framework: quasi-experimental, mixed-methods, and longitudinal data
• Multi-institutional: community colleges, universities, and online programs
• Peer-reviewed: published in academic journals
• Transparent: full research briefs available for review

Conclusion

The evidence for Labster is compelling: a platform built to scale across every modality, proven to lift completion, performance, and confidence, and shown to keep more learners on the path toward STEM degrees and careers. But will it work for your program? It's free to find out.

Try a virtual lab or book a meeting today.

References

Bonde, M. T., Makransky, G., Wandall, J., Larsen, M. V., Morsing, M., Jarmer, H., & Sommer, M. O. (2014). Improving biotech education through gamified laboratory simulations. Nature Biotechnology, 32(7), 694–697.

Brinson, J. R. (2015). Learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) laboratories: A review of the empirical research. Computers & Education, 87, 218–237.

Chan, P., Van Gerven, T., Dubois, J. L., & Bernaerts, K. (2021). Virtual chemical laboratories: A systematic literature review of research, technologies and instructional design. Computers and Education Open, 2, 100053.

Coleman, S. K., & Smith, C. L. (2019). Evaluating the benefits of virtual training for bioscience students. Higher Education Pedagogies, 4(1), 287–299.

De Vries, L. E., & May, M. (2019). Virtual laboratory simulation in the education of laboratory technicians–motivation and study intensity. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 47(3), 257–262.

Kolil, V. K., Muthupalani, S., & Achuthan, K. (2020). Virtual experimental platforms in chemistry laboratory education and its impact on experimental self-efficacy. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 1–22.

Makransky, G., Bonde, M. T., Wulff, J. S., Wandall, J., Hood, M., Creed, P. A., ... & Nørremølle, A. (2016). Simulation-based virtual learning environment in medical genetics counseling. BMC Medical Education, 16(1), 1–9.

Navarro, C., et al. (2024). Assessment of Student and Teacher Perceptions on the Use of Virtual Simulation in Cell Biology Laboratory Education. Education Sciences. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/3/243

Schechter, R. L., Chase, P. A., Shivaram, A., & Staeps, M. (2023). Virtual Lab Implementation Model Predicts STEM Future Plans: Insights from Contemporary Science Courses in Higher Education. EdMedia + Innovate Learning, 6–10. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/222641/

University of Toronto genetics training study. Evaluating the effectiveness of virtual laboratory simulations for graduate-level training in genetic methodologies. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bmb.21898

Dundalk Institute of Technology et al. Virtual laboratories complement but should not replace face-to-face lab experiences. Advances in Physiology Education. https://research.ucc.ie/en/publications/virtual-laboratories-complement-but-should-not-replace-face-to-fa/

Universidad de Las Américas study. Frontiers in Education. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1603469/full