Durham College
Project Description
The project was attractive to us, and we ran virtual simulations in our program for the first time the 2017–18 academic year. With the launch of our new program (Pre-Health Sciences), wet labs are a requirement for in-class students. We also have an online stream of this program and were looking for a “one-stop shop” for biology virtual simulations.
The vision and goal were to create a virtual environment for online students where they get the experience of a lab environment similar to what our in-class students might experience.
From the faculty perspective, the project was successful. Student feedback throughout the project was positive in many regards (Labster customer support, ease of use, look and feel of the interface).
Some areas of growth include adding more topics. Our students had to do a meiosis lab because that was the only one available, even though this lab did not necessarily fit as well with our course learning objectives. Also, anatomy is a large part of the second-semester biology course, and there are no anatomy-related labs.
Overall the user experience was a smooth process. One instructor experienced an issue with a student signing in, but there was excellent and responsive customer support from Labster. In general, students had few technical issues.
Team Description
The virtual simulations project was managed by the online biology instructors. Communication and collaboration with the larger Pre-Health Sciences program team happened at meetings, through email, and in informal, anecdotal conversations. Strengths and weaknesses were also informally communicated to administration as we consider how we want the use of virtual simulations to be incorporated in future (e.g., use only one resource like Labster or draw from a variety of free online resources).
As this was the first year of the program launch and the first program experience with virtual simulations, learners were frequently asked for feedback about their experience. This happened multiple times throughout their first- and second-semester experiences with Labster. This feedback was also informally communicated to colleagues.
Integration Details
For the duration of the virtual simulations project, two instructors and approximately 90 students were involved. Labs were chosen to align with course learning outcomes. Unfortunately there were gaps in finding a virtual simulation that aligned with our course learning outcomes, and at times students had to be provided additional information not relevant to our course in order to complete a lab.
From the learner perspective, the learning skills supported included organization, following instructions, and performing labs using appropriate techniques. While there are some skills demonstrated in a wet lab setting that cannot be covered with a virtual simulation (e.g., tactile skills), the virtual simulations met several of the intended competencies and learning outcomes of our introductory biolog