VR Lab Technology at Evolve Online.
VR Lab Technology at Evolve Online.
VR Technology is a very hot topic, especially considering its many benefits. But what is the advantage of using VR technology in schools?
What are the benefits of learning using VR Technology?
Virtual Labs have burst open the possibilities of what science educators can offer students while addressing some of the steepest challenges in academia today. In a time when classrooms are strained by tight budgets, disengaged students, and widening knowledge gaps, virtual labs are being widely adopted to help train, motivate, and inspire the next generation of scientists. This guide outlines everything you need to know about the growing role of virtual labs in modern pedagogy.
What exactly are Virtual Labs?
Virtual labs are interactive science simulations students complete online from their devices. Each lab places students in real-world scenarios where they must apply their knowledge to solve real-world problems.
With Evolve Online being an online school, we faced a critical problem. How do we give our learners practical experience without them having to visit a lab physically? This was a problem we solved with Labster. Labster allowed us to engage students, give them practical experience and will enable each student to work in a fully equipped lab.
Why does Evolve Online use virtual labs?
Virtual Labs are emerging as a powerful tool for academic institutions looking to elevate their science programs.
VR Labs also give us a massive advantage over traditional labs used in brick-and-mortar schools:
1. Retain and inspire students: Virtual labs provide engaging experiences that bring science to life. Simulations make science fun while helping students place themselves in the shoes of real scientists.
2. Enhance accessibility: Virtual labs provide students access to state-of-the-art experiences they can engage with anywhere, any time, and at their own pace.
3. Control lab costs: Virtual labs help programs expand opportunities for students to experience lab environments and field work that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive.
4. Accelerate Learning: Virtual labs help students visualise abstract science theory and practice techniques as often as needed to master coursework.
5. Reduce burnout: Education has significantly suffered from disengaged students and overworked educators in recent years. Virtual Labs provide the structure and motivation to expand what students can achieve at home so that educators can maximise time together in class.
6. Saving time: Virtual labs reduce time wasted in the lab by bolstering pre-lab training while lightening the burden of lectures for content best introduced in an immersive experience.
Here is an example.
So, you might ask how all of this is achieved.
Well, this is achieved in four distinct ways:
- Training lab techniques:
Virtual labs help educators drill lab procedures year-round so students can prepare for the real thing and review techniques long after lab work is completed.
2. Introducing new units:
New topics heavily burden lectures, as they need more prior context to engage students. Virtual Labs frame science in a fun, visual, real-world scenario. Help students more easily relate to new ideas so they come to lectures excited and full of questions.
3. Working through complex material in person:
Virtual labs provide a framework for collaborative learning. Educators can lead classrooms through virtual labs, coaching students as they hit roadblocks and dealing with questions on the spot.
4. Assessing student progress:
Virtual labs help educators track lab completion to identify where students need help and target their teaching quickly.
Using technology like this in our classrooms opens up a whole new world for students, where they can engage with advanced, fully equipped labs, which you would most likely only find at a top university. It gives them a massive advantage going into higher education, knowing how these labs function and how to conduct highly complex experiments.
By Tiaan Kruger
Tiaan Kruger is currently a Curriculum developer and Teacher at Evolve Online School.
He has been a teacher for 12 years,
His educational journey started at the North-West University where he studied Human Movement Science and Psychology. He then did his PGCE in Life Science, Life Orientation, and Technology. Tiaan has been teaching at Evolve Online for three years. He loves the opportunities the online setting creates for education and using different technologies in the "classroom" to improve learning.
To find out more about Labster click here www.labster.com
