Are Virtual Labs as Effective as Hands-on Labs for Undergraduate Physics? A Comparative Study at Two Major Universities

Abstract

Most physics professors would agree that the lab experiences students have in introductory physics are central to the learning of the concepts in the course. It is also true that these physics labs require time and money for upkeep, not to mention the hours spent setting up and taking down labs. Virtual physics lab experiences can provide an alternative or supplement to these traditional hands-on labs. However, physics professors may be very hesitant to give up the hands-on labs, which have been such a central part of their courses, for a more cost and timesaving virtual alternative. Thus, it is important to investigate how the learning from these virtual experiences compares to that acquired through a hands-on experience. This study evaluated a comprehensive set of virtual labs for introductory level college physics courses and compared them to a hands-on physics lab experience. Each of the virtual labs contains everything a student needs to conduct a physics laboratory experiment, including: objectives, background theory, 3D simulation, brief video, data collection tools, pre-and postlab questions, and postlab quiz. This research was conducted with 224 students from two large universities and investigated the learning that occurred with students using the virtual labs either in a lab setting or as a supplement to hands-on labs versus a control group of students using the traditional hands-on labs only. Findings from both university settings showed the virtual labs to be as effective as the traditional hands-on physics labs.

An Option of Hybrid Virtual Labs in an Introductory Biology Course as the Means for Accessible Learning and Enhancing Student Education

“…Multiple studies suggest that virtual labs can combat budget cuts due to the reduced spending on staff and equipment [6], [7], [10]. This is evident for the Ryerson University virtual labs since the gain in funding is the net amount after accounting for the reduced money being spent on laboratory space and personnel.…”

“…Laboratories are typically scheduled in three hour blocks which may create scheduling conflicts for other courses a student might wish to take, and which constrains the availability of teaching laboratories and potential alternate uses of space. Conventional labs also have a pre-determined schedule and in the case of students missing these labs for any reason, it is often difficult for the professor to arrange for a makeup lab [7]. Virtual labs allow students to conduct experiments that would not otherwise be possible due to the hazardous nature of materials or intensive training required to safely use equipment.…”

“…Students at this institute had simulated test designs and data collection of various physiological modules as opposed to traditional hands-on lab activities [6]. The merit of this approach to virtual labs is that well designed software can be easily distributed to a large number of students while completely bypassing the need for purchasing or maintaining specialized equipment [7]. Another positive aspect of this type of laboratory is that there are no boundaries to the experiment that could be conducted.…”

Convergencia de entornos virtuales 3D con tarjetas electrónicas como estrategia de apoyo a la educación virtual – Laboratorios virtualizados

“…Complicar no significa que no se puedan generar los entornos que mejoren o garanticen las condiciones para el logro de las competencias, sino que esto supone un nuevo paradigma en el cual converjan las tecnologías y las tendencias que permitan la creación de dichos entornos. (Darrah, Humbert, Finstein, Simon, & Hopkins, 2014); y al analizar el artículo se observa que los laboratorios por sí mismos no son la única herramienta o recurso educativo utilizado, es decir, los laboratorios serán otra actividad dentro de la asignatura así como serán otros recursos aparte de los textos, videos y autoevaluaciones.…”

Valoración del alumnado de los experimentos virtuales frente a los experimentos tradicionales

“…Su uso presenta muchas ventajas (Bortnik, 2017;Chan, 2009;Climent-Bellido, 2003;Cobb, 2009;De Jong, 2013;Franco, 2013; García Armada, 2016;Heradio, 2016;Jensen, 2013): fomentan el trabajo en equipo, son motivantes, implican menos costes que los laboratorios tradicionales, fomentan la creatividad y un aprendizaje más autónomo, se pueden repetir las experiencias tantas veces como sea necesario, disminuyen el miedo al error y al fracaso por parte del discente, facilitan la visualización de procesos y conceptos abstractos, y permiten al docente llevar a cabo actividades de laboratorio sin tener que cambiar de aula. Además, ofrecen alternativas para la enseñanza híbrida y a distancia.El impacto de los laboratorios virtuales, y la disyuntiva entre experimentos tradicionales y virtuales, han sido objeto de un considerable interés por parte de la comunidad educativa en los últimos años en diferentes áreas de conocimiento: Física (Deutsch, 2014;Finkelstein, 2005;Franco, 2013;Wieman, 2008), Química (Bortnik, 2017;Climent-Bellido, 2003; García Armada, 2016;Jensen, 2013;Moore, 2014; Tatli, 2010), Biología y Ciencias de la Vida (Lewis, 2014;Sanz, 2005;Stuckey-Mickell, 2007) e Ingeniería (Chan, 2009;Heradio, 2016;Ma, 2006;Potkonjak, 2016).En general, diferentes estudios, tanto de Ciencias Experimentales como de Ciencias de la Salud, muestran niveles similares de éxito con ambos enfoques en cuanto a calificaciones, adquisición de contenidos y/o valoración (Cobb, 2009;Darrah, 2014;De Jong, 2013;Hawkins, 2013;Klar, 2007;Lewis, 2014;Makransky, 2016;Pyatt, 2012; Spernjak, 2017;Triona, 2003;Tsihouridis, 2013;Winkelmann, 2014;…”