How can students learn from virtual labs, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?

I feel it is important for educators, particularly science educators to understand how to use virtual labs effectively in classrooms. With budget challenges virtual labs provide an avenue for teachers to be able to present demonstrations and conduct labs that they might not have been able to afford. Additionally, they can help present abstract ideas that may be hard to visualize or explain. As a personal connection I have seen firsthand from my own learning the power of virtual labs and simulations in the science classroom.

Best Practices
1. Virtual labs should not altogether replace real world labs, but instead enhance. Virtual labs should not completely replace the real lab, because students may miss out on the hands on experience that could be a value in later education. However, virtual labs can enhance those experiences. By performing a virtual lab on the material before a real world lab it allows students to make mistakes without fear of not getting the experiment done right. Furthermore, virtual labs can present abstract ideas that may not normally be easily viewed. For example, when learning about gas laws it may be hard to visualize what is actually occurring at the microscopic level, but with use of a simulation the interactions can be made visible and tangible. 2. Make sure virtual labs are accessible to students. Virtual labs need to be accessible because they provide students that are not physically able to be in the classroom a chance to learn content in a meaningful way. This means making sure that students can have a way to access labs, if it is software based make sure students have a copy they can use. If all students do not have readily accessible computers determine times when and where they can access machines. Online labs, demos, and simulations increase this accessibility. Another feature of accessibility is to rigorously go through the demo, simulation, or lab and determine if it is appropriate for the age group of learners. Some virtual labs can be quite in depth they may be easy to use for the teacher, but may be beyond the capability of students in the classroom. 3. Rigorously assess virtual labs and their usefulness. All virtual labs are not created equal; some may not be appropriate for a particular classroom or be well designed. There is criticism that come virtual labs are a mere replacement for text or are overly cheesy. To address this each virtual lab, demo, or simulation that is to be used needs to be fully assessed to its usefulness. Each needs to be examined to make sure that it matches the content being taught, will keep students interested, and provides a form of interaction that could not normally be easily conducted in the classroom.

Additional Resources
PhET This site has a number of demonstrations and simulations that are examples of well done virtual labs and simulations. One of the highlights of this site is a simulation on electric circuits that could have a virtual lab designed from it tailor made to fit a classroom. It is a good example because it allows users to manipulate many aspects of electricity that may be difficult to cheaply and timely perform in a "real world" lab. Additionally its animations help clarify the idea that electricity flows. The Virtual Lab Experiment This article discusses different types of virtual labs and their uses. One of its strengths is in the discussion of distance education and ways that virtual content and hands on bench top labs can be combined. Additionally, it shows how four different programs utilize virtual labs and coordinate them with traditional labs. University of Virginia Virtual Lab This site is the virtual lab web page that was discussed in one of the article on University of Virginia's virtual lab. Though it is a bit older, it provides in depth visual representations of concepts. It is interesting to actually view a lab that students responded to in the interview.

Annotated Bibliography
Peer Reviewed Sources Carnevale, D. (2003). The virtual lab environment. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 49(21), A30-A32. This article reviews a number of programs that implemented using virtual labs. It talked about some of the positive and negative aspects of virtual labs. Overall, this article was mostly positive in its position on virtual labs. An interesting feature that this article discussed was the use of virtual labs that were not completely computer based for use with distance education learners. In this case, experiments were conducted in the students kitchen with readily available items that could all be purchased at any local big box store. This article was mostly discussing the use of virtual labs at the university level. One positive that it spoke of was reduced time for lengthy experiments and also addressing safety concerns around using hazardous biological items and chemicals. This source answers my question specifically by providing some positive and negative aspects of virtual labs and insight on how they could be used. Additionally, the section concerning the use of partial virtual labs with some real aspects was a new area that had not been discussed in other articles that I have read. One big

positive that this article talked about was the idea of discovery learning and how if the virtual lab was set up correctly that students could try many things in the lab that would be normally too expensive or time consuming.

Huang, C. Virtual labs: e-learning for tomorrow. Public Library of Science Biology, 2(6), 0734-0735. This article is emphasizes that since students are growing up in an age where technology is all surrounding teachers need to embrace it to help students embrace learning. This particular article was discussing the use of virtual medical related labs at the college undergraduate level. It discussed that a reason that virtual labs are successful for students that they keep the students engaged. It stressed that since the labs being used were flexible it could work with various students. Another point that it stressed that the labs were typically fun and often times a game format was used. A major association between fun and engaging was made concerning virtual labs. This source helps specifically answers my question by giving some of the positives of virtual labs: they are engaging, flexible, and fun. Though this article does not specifically address students in the K-12 age group I think that since it discusses working with students that have grown up with a multitude of technologies around it can be applied to younger learners.

Oloruntegbe, K.O., & Alam, G.M. (2010). Evaluation of 3d environments and virtual realities in science teaching and learning: the need to go beyond perception referents. Scientific Research and Essays, 5(9), 948-954. This article was a study that was based on an article review. In it multiple articles and journals were read to gain a better understanding of the use of 3D visualization labs in science settings. A majority of this study was conducted on the university level. This article addressed some of the positives and negatives of the use of virtual labs and some of the gains and losses in their implementation. Some key points it made is that virtual labs can increase and decrease costs for schools by freeing from costly lab materials or by gaining in technology resources. Another area that this article talked about was some of the misconceptions and problems with student acceptance to virtual labs. This source specifically answers my question by providing positives and negatives about the implementation of virtual labs. More negative ideas were addressed than positives in this article. For example, possible sources of misconceptions of students, students feeling that the labs were wastes of time and also students not buying into the labs as they are fake, similar to a video game or movie. Another negative found was that many virtual labs do not represent the material any differently than a text based lab, but merely are more engaging because they involve the computer. One

overwhelming theme was that virtual labs were not to be replacements for real labs, but as an additional resource in the classroom.

Non Peer Reviewed Sources Smart, M.P. (2008, May 01). Cooking up a (virtual) laboratory: discovery education science delivers.Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/discovery-educationscience-virtual-laboratories This source mainly highlighted the use of one particular program used in a school. The article was put together by the group that developed a particular program; however it was through a nonprofit organization so I think that the information may still be valid. This article was focused on the use of a younger group of students more in the elementary level. It discussed how kids bought into the virtual labs because of the animations and noises that occurred throughout using it. Another area it talked about was its use for students who could not physically be in class or disabled students who may not normally be able to participate fully in that sort of assignment. This particular program had built in assessments for teacher feedback. This source answers my question specifically by addressing positives of virtual labs. Main points of that it makes were students are more engaged due to excitement generated, the usefulness for absent children and disabled children, and that the use of virtual labs may also help students in connections to other subjects through use of multimedia present within the virtual lab.

Technology: a mixed bag for science education? [Web log message]. (2009, October 31). Retrieved from http://ateachersthoughts.com/ This source was from a teachers blog and for the most part the authors views were negative on the use of virtual labs in the classroom. Some key points the author of the article made were that part of science is failure and that is part of the learning that occurs. Another point that the article makes is that one of the reason that virtual labs are appealing is their ease of implementation and cost cutting features and that they may not accurately display real science with them. This source will help me answer my question by providing the much needed dissenting opinion on the topic. By pointing some major flaws with overuse of virtual labs it will help me boil down ways to use them effectively without the risk of not doing real science within the classroom.

Virtual lab vivid animations help students with science experiments. (2007, August 1). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0809-virtual_lab.htm

This source was a combination video and transcript that discussed the use of computer program developed at the University of Virginia. One main points of this report was that the virtual lab used was a way to help students with more abstract concepts particularly in physics based content. Students interviewed for the report responded positively to the program saying how they liked the visualizations and presented an alternative way of looking at things. This program mainly focused on providing additional visualizations to students to help clarify understanding. This source helps answer my question by developing more insight into student response to virtual labs. It can help address some of the cost issues associated by virtual labs due to this particular program being free. Again this report reinforced the idea of saving money on complex experiments through using virtual labs. Also with the information from some of the students testimony discussing being a visual learner and not doing well from text, I believe I will be able to emphasize the point that virtual labs can address different learning styles.
https://sites.google.com/site/virtuallabsadvantages/