Virtual labs have done a decent job of introducing students to scientific work and allowing them to simulate experiments in the absence of a physical lab. However, a faculty member at Stony Brook University said she believes virtual labs could do more, and she intends to apply gamification to find out whether its use could expand how science is practiced online.
M. Ete Chan, an assistant professor in the department of Biomedical Engineering, recently received a grant from her institution to research a project she's calling, "Lab-in-a-Cube." The problem Chan identified was that while virtual science labs look realistic, they still lack some "crucial" aspects: "tactile skills, decision-making for preparation and execution of the lab." For example, the process of "pipetting up and dispensing an accurate volume of chemicals without introducing unnecessary air bubbles cannot be practiced online currently," she noted in a proposal about the project. Likewise, virtual labs rely too much on "computer mouse clicking" or simple choices.
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Kim Flintoff
onto Augmented, Alternate and Virtual Realities in Education |