Virtual labs are interactive digital simulations that replicate the tools, equipment, and tests found in physical laboratory settings. They support and reinforce science concepts learned in the classroom while increasing student engagement.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the creation of new virtual and digital lab features, making resiliency and lab agility hot topics practically overnight. These trends will continue.
Collaborative Learning
Collaboration is a critical element of effective learning in the classroom and business. Students who work in groups learn to defend their ideas, reframe new information, and understand the perspectives of others. This is especially useful when completing labs and other types of group assignments.
Studies examining collaborative learning often focus on creating a supportive environment. They also stress the importance of establishing ground rules and clear expectations for communication, participation, and task completion. This helps to ensure that all members have a shared understanding of what is expected of them and how they can best contribute to the group’s success.
While these benefits may be evident to teachers, some students hesitate to participate in collaborative activities. Fortunately, the use of virtual labs can help to overcome this resistance by providing students with the opportunity to collaborate remotely and without the limitations of physical space.
Increased Productivity
Virtual Labs are a powerful tool that can help academic institutions elevate their science programs. They can help attract students, increase student retention, and improve the quality of education. They can also help control lab costs and expand opportunities to experience lab environments that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
Virtual laboratories provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice critical laboratory skills in a safe environment. They can help students overcome health and safety constraints, and they can allow students to conduct experiments remotely multiple times. They can also help synchronize theoretical and empirical learning.
However, there are a few concerns about using virtual labs in higher education. One concern is that virtual labs offer a different experience than traditional laboratories, which can be problematic for some students. For example, a virtual lab may not include the nuances of a laboratory experiment, such as the smell of the chemicals or the uncertainty of the results.
Increased Sales Productivity
In a commercial laboratory, the ability to increase productivity is a clear business case. Automation equipment can increase the rate of experimental output while reducing labor and input materials costs. This enables a company to maximize profits.
However, in many academic research laboratories, the ‘people’ output of the lab is less readily quantifiable. Principal investigators often see the lab as a training ground for upskilling students and staff to move on to other roles within the university. Introducing automation can be difficult as employees may see it as threatening their job security.
Educators can reduce student burnout with virtual labs that allow them to practice techniques and learn at their own pace, bolstering pre-lab training and lightening the burden of lecturing for content best introduced in an immersive experience. In addition, using KPIs can give lab leaders a more detailed understanding of performance and allow them to update their operations based on the results intelligently.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
Virtual labs are a powerful tool for elevating the student learning experience by providing engaging simulations that make science fun. They also provide more accessibility to state-of-the-art experiences that are generally unavailable, allowing students to place themselves in the shoes of natural scientists.
In addition to ensuring that learners have a hands-on ‘learn by doing’ mentality, the best virtual lab providers will offer feedback to users and validate their actions. This helps to reinforce the value of a platform and improve skills retention.
Cloud-based virtual labs have a ‘pay only what you use’ model, which can be more cost-effective than on-premise solutions. They also allow organizations to lighten their IT workloads, reducing maintenance complexities and freeing up resources for other tasks. They also enable quicker and easier access to insights and analytics, which can help to drive improved lab performance. By analyzing these metrics, organizations can continuously optimize configurations and scale resources to meet evolving demands.
