Background: The adoption of virtual laboratories (VLs) has experienced a significant surge, catalysed by the global changes in the educational landscape, notably influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally supplementary to traditional in-person laboratory experiments, VLs swiftly transitioned into a primary source of hands-on laboratory…

The integration of Virtual Laboratories (VLs) into blended learning environments in science education offers a multifaceted educational experience that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. This approach provides dynamic, interactive learning opportunities that can be customized to meet various educational needs…

A chemical engineering student's knowledge of theory, experimental design, and real-world processes is tested and enforced in the Unit Operations laboratory courses. However, instructors are facing challenges of delivering high-quality, hands-on laboratory content with limited resources and increasingly large class sizes. Limited in-lab time is…

The analysis of spontaneous tail coiling (STC) in zebrafish embryos is a functional parameter that allows the study of motor development. It has recently gained relevance as a biomarker to assess the neurotoxicity of environmental substances. Its practicability in the laboratory makes it an excellent pedagogical tool for promoting students'…

Integrating virtual laboratories (VLs) with science education promotes inquiry-based learning by providing an interactive, dynamic environment in which students actively engage with scientific concepts. While previous research highlights the effectiveness of VLs as tools in the IBL process, few studies have embedded the entire inquiry process…

Virtual Chemistry Laboratories (VCLs) are used as an alternative to the physical laboratories, where users can enhance their performance for hands-on chemistry experiments. However, cognitive load and other issues make the VCLs impractical. The issue of cognitive load arises due to the complexity of the environment by displaying a number of…

Basic Human Anatomy at Indiana University is a large undergraduate anatomy class with nearly five hundred students in twelve lab sections. In the fall of 2018, we added the Virtual Human Dissector software on an interactive Sectra table to our lab to help students fill the gap between idealized anatomical models and fully prosected cadavers. We…

Chemometric techniques such as partial least-squares (PLS) regression have been applied with huge success to a wide array of chemical problems including multicomponent analysis of analytes in complex mixtures. Despite this, there are few examples of laboratory pedagogical exercises that involve students in the acquisition of chemical data from…

The recent popularity of benchtop (BT) NMR systems has prompted its applications in undergraduate laboratories around the world. Owing to their low maintenance cost, due to the lack of a superconducting magnetic core, and simple operation, these BT NMR systems can fulfill many of the learning objectives outlined in the undergraduate organic…

A virtual microscope resource was created when face-to-face labs were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 to replicate the learning goals of an introductory petrology course on microscopy. This virtual microscope resource utilized images and videos of thin sections, as well as 3D rock models to allow students to complete labs online.…

Campus shutdowns during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic posed unique challenges to faculty and students engaged in laboratory courses. Formerly hands-on experiments had to be quickly pivoted to emergency remote learning. While some resources existed prior to this period, many currently available online modules and/or simulations focus on a single…

The COVID-19 outbreak has altered chemistry laboratory instruction and forced us to reconsider the balance between face-to-face and online teaching. Our students preferred face-to-face teaching (score 4.1/5 on a Likert-like scale) to virtual laboratory exercises (3.4/5) despite the fact that their performance score was actually lower in…

In education, the use of information, computers, and the Internet as a form of blended technology has been receiving increased attention and consideration. Additionally, increasing attention is being paid toward a scaffolding mechanism that can be integrated into science classrooms in order to solve technological challenges. This work describes a…

This paper reports on a study of teacher support in experimental computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) settings where students engage with graphs in real-time labs within the context of school science. Real-time labs are digital devices and software connected to student-controlled sensors or probes that can measure and visualize data…

An understanding of protein folding relies on a solid foundation of a number of critical chemical concepts, such as molecular structure, intra-/intermolecular interactions, and relating structure to function. Recent reports show that students struggle on all levels to achieve these understandings and use them in meaningful ways. Further, several…