Learning Outcomes are Better with Virtual Lab Simulations

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). 

• Average final course grades increased from a C- to a B at Fisk University after using Labster

• Average final exam grades increased from D+ to B- and final course grades increased from a C+ to a B at San José State University after using Labster

• Test grades of microbiology students who learned with Labster were 19% higher than those of students who learned via traditional teaching methods at Thomas Jefferson University.

• 94% of Alamance Community College microbiology students said they gained domain knowledge, confidence in their lab skills, and felt better prepared for in-person labs after using Labster

“‘Can we demonstrate that the students are meeting course outcomes?’ Check! We can do that.”

- Kyle Hammon, biology instructor, Wenatchee Valley College

Student Engagement Improves with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Virtual lab simulations are more effective at engaging students than traditional teaching methods (Chan, 2021). Virtual lab simulations feed curiosity and motivate students to explore phenomena.   

• 91% of students at Thomas Jefferson University said Labster was engaging

“For non-science majors to come and tell a biology professor, ‘We love this, this is fun, this is interesting,’ it’s great. It really does improve the students’ learning experience. Happy student, happy teacher.”

- Perla Atiyah, associate professor of biology, American University of Bahrain

“I can give you direct quotes from student evals that say that they love the virtual labs, they love the interaction. They love how informative they are. Being able to see that your students are learning and your students are engaging and they are growing from it means that it is working.

- Amber Kool, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Arizona College of Nursing 

 “I could see them jumping backward and forward to different sections of the particular Labster and also still engaging with me. So they were kind of doing multichannel learning, which was really good because that's going to embed their learning a lot harder a lot faster.” 

- Steve Davis, course leader and senior personal tutor for Life Sciences, University of Westminster 

Labs Cost Less with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Physical laboratory sessions require space, equipment, and staff. Virtual lab simulations use the latest lab equipment - in digital form - and require no maintenance. 

“I think the biggest challenge for any instructor today is looking at your return on investment. With educational resources, textbooks are out of control with their pricing, and so to bring in a student a resource, it needs to deliver. We’ve found Labster really delivers that ROI.”

- Clark Jones, senior microbiology instructor, Texas Christian University

“In on-campus practicals, we have limited resources, limited ability to teach modern techniques because the cost would be too prohibitive. With Labster, I can teach even first and second-year students techniques such as flow cytometry, ELISA, and immunoblotting.”

- Donald Wlodkowic, associate professor of cell biology and toxicology, RMIT University

“What I love most about Labster are the skills and types of labs that are available. I don’t have the funds for it, I don’t have the space for it - I could never give that to my students.”

- Diane Sigalas, biotechnology teacher, Livingston High School  

“Labster saves us because we don’t always have money to buy lab equipment… [for example] we use Labster in molecular biology because it’s hard to buy all the stains and slides... we just don’t have that equipment.”

- Shawn Zeringue, chemistry teacher, West Ranch High School

Instructors Save Time with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Virtual lab simulations give instructors the option to assign pre-labs which accelerates in-lab learning. The time saved can be used to expand the curriculum with related content, keep lab sections and class lectures more in sync, or just talk with students.

“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

“I can spend time with everyone because those skills were already practiced the night before with Labster.”

- Diane Sigalas, biotechnology teacher, Livingston High School  

Students’ Confidence and Self-Efficacy Increase with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Self-efficacy is a learner’s own perception of their ability to organize and execute a course of action to produce the desired outcome. Research shows that virtual lab simulations have a positive influence on learners’ self-efficacy and increase their confidence in performing laboratory activities (Kolil et al, 2020). This effect was very pronounced for Labster in particular (Coleman & Smith, 2019; Makransky et al, 2016). 

• 91% of students at Thomas Jefferson University said they felt more confident about doing real labs after using Labster simulations

“I definitely think the kids understand the content better when they get to do a simulation. They felt like they were scientists.”

- Shawn Zeringue, chemistry teacher, West Ranch High School

Students’ Motivation is Higher with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Unfortunately, many students have the idea that science is boring and disconnected from their lives in the real world. The good news is that research has found that gamified virtual lab simulations are highly motivating to students (Coleman & Smith, 2019; De Vries & May, 2019; Bonde et al, 2014)

“When I give them a worksheet, they’re not all doing it. But when I give them Labster, they’re all actually doing it. It’s more motivating.”

- Emily Dehoff, biochemistry and life sciences teacher, North County Career Center Vermont

“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  

Pre-Lab Practice is Effective with Virtual Lab Simulations 

When students completed Labster and were then given a face-to-face practical, they performed better than students who completed the same lab in person. 

• 100% of students at Thomas Jefferson University said they preferred Labster for pre-labs rather than traditional textbooks and lab manuals

“They did the Labster, came to lab, did the lab within 30 minutes with no questions, then passed the quiz with flying colors.”

- Margaret Brady, associate professor and A&P instructor, North Dakota State College of Science 

“When they’ve done the Labster assignment beforehand, I get fewer questions. They’re making the connections when they’re in the in-person lab” 

- Eddy van Hunnik, bioscience and biotechnology instructor, Alamance Community College

Developing Technical Skills is Effective with Virtual Lab Simulations

Students learn how to use instruments beforehand and can practice techniques and procedures before performing them in the real lab.

“We’ll show the students the instrumentation, but they’ll learn how to use it effectively using the simulation.”

- Therese Uniacke-Lowe, chemistry professor, University College Cork

“They are much more aware of how a lab should work. It’s a really good way to prep the students.”

- Matthew Kirkham, Biomedicine Course Director, Karolinska Institutet

Active Learning is Supported by Virtual Lab Simulations 

The interactive design of virtual lab simulations makes them ideal for STEM educators who want to bring active learning strategies into their teaching. Results of a recent study show that interactive virtual lab simulations can be more effective than passive teaching methods (e.g., lecture, text, and video) (Chan, 2021). 

“Students do not just watch a video, they actively perform the Labster experiments themselves. They interact with reagents and with pieces of laboratory equipment. They can also test themselves with built-in quizzes.”

- Donald Wlodkowic, associate professor of cell biology and toxicology, RMIT University

“The Labster simulations get students to do things. They’re not just sitting there consuming a webinar where their mind can drift. You have to engage with it and have a participatory

role in that learning.”

- Dr. Stuart Goodall, A&P lecturer, University of Northumbria

“Students who work with simulations are actively learning, they are involved in the simulation. Teaching students only the theory is not the same as teaching them to practice. We learn by doing." 

- Lizette Susana Hernandez Cardenas, biology professor, Tecnológico de Monterrey

“In a virtual environment, students have to make all the decisions. And because they’re putting learning into action in a simulation, it’s more than just trying to memorize something - they can actually pull on those experiences in the future when they need to make a decision.”

- Amber Kool, Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Arizona College of Nursing 

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Students Stay Safe and Learn from Their Mistakes with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Students often develop anxiety about performing experiments due to the perceived negative outcomes resulting from making mistakes (Kolil et al, 2020). Virtual lab simulation facilitates immediate feedback to the student and allows them to correct their misconceptions. They can safely perform experiments in a virtual lab simulation without any fear of damage to the equipment or injury to themselves. 

“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

“Even if they do it wrong [in Labster] the first time, they learn and they correct it. This is how the learning process should be.”  

- Luning He, microbiology professor, West Coast University

Students Can Repeat Labs Until They Master Them with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Performing virtual lab simulations for longer durations or multiple times positively influences students’ laboratory performance and fosters deeper learning (Diwakar et al, 2023). In Labster, it’s at the discretion of each instructor to decide whether to permit their students to repeat simulations an unlimited number of times, or restrict the number of plays for course credit.

“With Labster, if you don't understand how to do that experiment, you just re-run the simulation until you master it. And that is the beauty of virtual lab teaching.”

- Donald Wlodkowic, associate professor of cell biology and toxicology, RMIT University

Accessibility for All Learners Increases with Virtual Lab Simulations 

Designed to support UDL (Universal Design for Learning), Labster’s virtual lab simulations are accessible - with no need for adaptive devices - for students with learning differences and those with low vision, hearing, or other physical impairments. Over 150 of Labster’s most popular simulations can be played using our built-in screen reader which provides auditory descriptions of laboratory equipment, animations, and environmental scenery. They are also playable using keyboard navigation. 

“I saw some of the students who were slower at reading a book discover they could turn on Labster and keep up with the rest of the class because it would speak to them. And I saw that as a huge change in barrier for someone with that type of learning disability.” 

- Lewis Mattin, physiology lecturer, University of Westminster 

“People learn in different ways. The principles we teach in the classroom or the lecture theater are so well laid out in the Labster simulations. It reinforces learning, just from a different angle.” 

- Stuart Goodall, A&P lecturer, University of Northumbria

“Our special ed teachers use it often because those kids are more visual learners and they can move at their own pace, versus trying to shuffle them through a lab… so [those teachers] actually do it in the classroom with them, and [the kids] can get more one-on-one help.”

- Shawn Zeringue, chemistry teacher, West Ranch High School

Virtual Lab Simulations Increase Overall Flexibility  

Virtual lab simulations increase opportunities for students to perform experiments outside of class and lab time, making them particularly advantageous for students who balance academics with work and family responsibilities. 

• 96% of pre-nursing students at San José State University liked the flexibility of learning with Labster

“The flexibility of online simulation can help level the playing field for non-traditional students.” 

- Manuela Tripepi, assistant professor of biology and course director for microbiology, Thomas Jefferson University

Conclusion

Evidence for the efficacy of Labster virtual lab simulations is compelling, but will they work for you? It’s free to find out. Try the Labster All-Access Educator's Pass for 30 days to experiment with teaching using our 300+ virtual lab simulations. Start today! 

References

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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Diwakar, S., Kolil, V. K., Francis, S. P., & Achuthan, K. (2023). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among students for laboratory courses-Assessing the impact of virtual laboratories. Computers & Education, 198, 104758.

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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.

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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: an example of bridging the gap between theory and practice in medical education. BMC medical education, 16(1), 1-9.

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Sharma, B., Gargrish, S., Kaur, A., & Mantri, A. (2022, May). Effect of virtual reality-based pre-lab training simulator on students’ learning and skills in laboratory work: A comparative exploration. In AIP Conference Proceedings (Vol. 2357, No. 1, p. 040025). AIP Publishing LLC.

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Sypsas, A., & Kalles, D. (2018, November). Virtual laboratories in biology, biotechnology and chemistry education: a literature review. In Proceedings of the 22nd Pan-Hellenic Conference on Informatics (pp. 70-75).

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