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Involving students in laboratory and inquiry-based activities can help them understand the concepts of physics. However the learning process should not only focus on the concepts. Moreover, the advantages of using virtual or physical labs are still under examination. The purpose of this study is to analyse which of the two modes (virtual or physical) is the most effective for high-school students, in terms of conceptual understanding and attitudes. The criteria for this comparison are (a) the contribution of these two modes to the improvement of conceptual understanding and (b) the students' attitudes towards both modes of laboratory. The participants were high-school students of 3rd grade in two different groups. For the purpose of the study, four educational scenarios were created: two in the field of Mechanics and two in that of Electricity. The study revealed no statistically significant difference regarding students' experimenting in either lab mode. Moreover, students' attitudes towards both virtual and physical labs were similarly positive. We assume that these results may contribute to a broader perspective on choosing the lab mode when designing activities, given the fact that both the understanding and attitudes of the students are similar in the cases examined. Thus, the final choice of modality should be based on other factors, such as the adequacy of equipment, the educational conditions (e.g. distance education) and the specific learning goals set by the teacher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current digital transformation in manufacturing has a strong impact on the competencies needed by manufacturing companies. This leads to evolving requirements for digital training in industrial engineering courses. The concept of virtual labs in academic environments can be instrumental in teaching new digital skills through practical experience. This paper aims to examine the requirements and essential factors involved in designing virtual labs, proposing a framework to meet the requirements of virtual lab activities, integrating didactic and research purposes while examining the requirements and essential factors involved in designing virtual labs digital twin as an enabling technology. The framework is the result of the analysis of the technical aspects related to immersive technologies, such as extended reality, together with insights gathered from interviews and pilot testing conducted in workshops involving students, teachers, and lab managers from three institutions implementing virtual labs. The outcomes of this study include the digital model of four manufacturing labs as virtual labs that are openly available for academic purposes. This showcases a commitment towards offering quality and inclusive engineering education through cuttingedge virtual technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multivariable calculus is a subject undertaken by engineering students as a core module at the freshman level. One of the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) in multivariable calculus is to gain an intuition for visualizing three-dimensional surfaces and deducing their properties. For students to visualize more complex multivariable calculus concepts, a virtual reality (VR) application has been created. Tapping on existing infrastructures, we investigate the effectiveness of visualization through VR usage vis-à-vis a two-dimensional digital screen. We have conducted a controlled trial on a group of N = 119 students across two groups. The first group (control group) comprises students who participated in an online quiz (as a baseline test). The second group (treatment group) is given two sets of tests, the first is the same baseline test that the control group participated in, before administering the test questions on the VR platform (termed the treatment test) to the same group of students. Our analysis reveals that students, in general, perform better on questions pertaining to the identification of the sign of partial derivatives in the treatment test, but for other intended learning outcomes linked to other questions, students have performance similar to the baseline test. Furthermore, low-progress students in the treatment group exhibited improvement after the treatment. Our work here has the potential to be developed into a future-ready smart classroom through VR usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this contemporary epidemic era, learning media that is easily accessible and engaging to learners is genuinely required. So far, students at PGRI Semarang University and University Teknologi Malaysia have previously been required to apply a compass and ruler to construct flat shapes and spaces, to establish active learning strategies that can encourage students in virtually sketching flat shapes. The ADDIE model was employed in the research, the outcome of this research is a virtual geometry lab. According to student responses, as much as 96 percent agree that the use of virtual media the geometry lab can enhance students' cognitive and spatial abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent SARS-CoV2 pandemic has put a great challenge on university courses. Electronics teaching requires real laboratory experiences for students, which cannot be realized if access to physical infrastructures is prohibited. A possible solution would be to distribute to students, at home, electronics equipment suitable for laboratory experiments, but no reasonable product is currently available off-the-shelf. In this paper, the design and development of a very-low-cost experimental board tailored to these needs is presented. It contains both programmable prototyping circuitry based on a microcontroller and an FPGA and a set of measurement instruments, similar to the ones found on a typical lab desk, such as a digital storage oscilloscope, multimeter, analog signal generator, logic state analyzer and digital pattern generator. A first board, suitable for analog and digital electronics experiments, has been designed and manufactured, and is described in this paper. The board has been successfully used in master's degrees and PhD courses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has heavily impacted academics' professional and personal lives, forcing many research groups (labs) to shift from an academic system primarily based on in‐person work to an almost full‐time remote workforce during lockdowns. Labs are generally characterized by a strong lab culture that underpins all research and social activities of its members. Lab culture traditionally builds on the pillars of in‐person communication, knowledge sharing, and all social and professional activities that promote collaboration, team building, scientific productivity, and well‐being. Here, we use the experience of our research group facing the COVID‐19 pandemic to illustrate how proactively reinforcing lab culture and its positive outcomes have been essential to our lab when transitioning from an in‐person to a remote lab environment, and through its ongoing evolution toward a hybrid remote/in‐person model. We argue that the proactive promotion of lab culture in research groups can foster academic resilience during crises, helping research groups to maintain their capacity to conduct scientific activities while preserving a sustainable life/work balance and a healthy mental condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual labs allow researchers to design high-throughput and macro-level experiments that are not feasible in traditional in-person physical lab settings. Despite the increasing popularity of online research, researchers still face many technical and logistical barriers when designing and deploying virtual lab experiments. While several platforms exist to facilitate the development of virtual lab experiments, they typically present researchers with a stark trade-off between usability and functionality. We introduce Empirica: a modular virtual lab that offers a solution to the usability–functionality trade-off by employing a "flexible defaults" design strategy. This strategy enables us to maintain complete "build anything" flexibility while offering a development platform that is accessible to novice programmers. Empirica's architecture is designed to allow for parameterizable experimental designs, reusable protocols, and rapid development. These features will increase the accessibility of virtual lab experiments, remove barriers to innovation in experiment design, and enable rapid progress in the understanding of human behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study with K-9 Greek students was conducted in order to evaluate how the declarative knowledge acquisition was affected by incorporating Arduino experiments in secondary Chemistry Education. A Digital Application (DA) that blends the use of the Arduino sensors' experiments with digital educational material, including Virtual Labs (VLs), was constructed from scratch to be used through the Interactive Board (IB) as a learning tool by three different student groups (N = 154). In the first stage of the learning process, all groups used only the digital material of the DA. In the second stage, the three groups used different learning tools of the DA. Through the IB, the first group used Arduino experiments, the second one the VLs, and the third only static visualizations. A pre- to post-test statistical analysis demonstrated that the first two groups were equivalent in regard to achievement in declarative knowledge tests and of a higher level than the third group. Therefore, it can be concluded that conducting Arduino experiments in a mixed virtual-physical environment results in equivalent learning gains in declarative knowledge as those attained by using VL experimentation through the IB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to measure the level of Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), conceptual understanding and identify an increase in conceptual understanding after using LVL-BOT. This type of research is Pre-Experimental with One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The research sample consisted of 37 students from physics classes who took modern physics courses. Students' level of Self-Regulated Learning is administered using a questionnaire, and understanding of concepts is administered using a test. Based on the analysis results, the percentage level of Self-Regulated Learning is at a value of 87.7%, which is included in the very high category. There is a significant difference between the mean pre-test and post-test mean. The NGain Values of Photoelectric Effect and Black Body Radiation are 0.47 and 0.57, respectively. This shows an increase in student's conceptual understanding, which is "enough" after using LVL-BOT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim/Purpose The objective of this study is to explore the effectiveness of using virtual experiments on students’ level of achievement and on their practical skills as well as their views on applying the virtual experiments in a general physics lab. Background There is a continuous debate in the literature on the effect of using virtual experiments/ lab on students’ physics learning and whether those virtual experiments can substitute and/or enhance students’ performance in the real lab. Also, there is a need to design effective learning environments which are more suitable to students’ characteristics in the digital age and can help them to acquire science inquiry and practical skills. Methodology Mixed research methodology is adopted including quasi-experimental design, achievement test, participatory observation, and semi-structured interviews. Two groups of students were selected: an experimental group (45 students) and control group (45 students). Contribution The study results contribute to the ongoing discussion on the role of virtual lab in learning and teaching general physics lab and provide a model of combining virtual and real lab as well as an alternative solution under the times of COVID 19. The results of the study showed that substituting face-to-face theoretical preparation in the general physics lab is at least equally effective as using virtual experiments. Students with virtual components acquired deeper understanding of physics concepts and were better prepared for carrying out real experiments. Attending online videos spared students’ time and provided them with a more flexible and rich learning environment. Recommendations for Practitioners Faculty members are encouraged to use virtual experiments instead of f ace-to-face lab preparation. It is important to include more interactive multimedia and short online videos in the design of the virtual experiments. Recommendations for Researchers The development of virtual experiments can be extended to other experiments and topics in science. Researchers are encouraged to combine both quantitative and qualitative data collection tools to allow deeper exploration of students learning in the virtual environments. Impact on Society Virtual labs have the potential to save time and cost for both students and university as they reduce presence hours at the university in the real lab. Virtual experiments provide flexible learning opportunities that can overcome time, pace, and place barriers for learners from the community. They also provide a solution for physical distancing needed due to the emergency conditions imposed by the pandemic. Future Research Further investigations are needed to include the development of the whole introductory physics lab into virtual course and to explore the digital (virtual) transformation of other topics in physics and science as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students education in various fields (such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is constantly looking for ways and techniques on how to motivate students to learn, how to increase their engagement and how to increase the e ciency of knowledge acquisition. Information and communication technologies are developing at a very rapid speed and o er many new opportunities that could be used for such purposes. This paper focuses on virtual laboratory technologies that could be very helpful for these learning problems especially for subjects that lose the interest of young people. We have conducted two pilots at a Slovak secondary school and university to analyse the usability of self-directed learning applied to teach networking topics such as software-defined networking and network functions virtualisation. This learning approach was enhanced by a developed virtual lab and a set of self-tests. Knowledge tests and questionnaires have been used to investigate the impact of this self-directed virtual lab-based learning approach on students motivation to learn, feelings, satisfaction with learning approach and knowledge gain. The results showed that students appreciated the virtual laboratory for improving learning and their motivation to learn and their knowledge acquisition was noticeably improved when the virtual lab was included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability of teaching aid for laboratory practices is important particularly in the field of information security. In this paper is introduced a novel Virtual Lab for Information Security practices called VILARITY. It is an on-going effort to establish alternative laboratory based on virtualization technology specifically designed for two security related courses. The paper at hand briefly presents assessment for VILARITY usage through two different surveys. The first survey aims to assess the effectiveness of contents of Virtual Lab whilst the second one is to find out any obstacles faced by students in using virtualization tool. In conclusion, most students consider hands on practices with the Virtual Lab have enhanced their skills and knowledge and the virtualization environment is appropriate for delivering the practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation software plays a great role in the study of optical design and optical processing. In this paper, a unified optical modeling and analysis software virtual Lab is used to simulate four kinds of aberrations, and Michelson interferometer. Besides, the characteristics of the reflective volume holographic gratings (VHG) are studied. The diffraction efficiency diagram of VHG, the relationship between the reflection efficiency and wavelength, the relationship between the angular spectrum of polarized light and the reflection efficiency are given. The result is reliable, operation is simple and convenient thus it is worth for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper concerns the implementation of a methodology aiming to achieve a quasi real-time calibration of Finite Element Models (FEMs) of large structural mock-ups during shaking table tests. The damage achieved after each test step is commonly evaluated by visual inspection, since running large numerical analyses or processing the experimental data for damage estimation with common computing resources is very time-consuming and in case of a prolonged stand-by the shaking tables oil temperature stability can be put at risk. On the other hand, the specimen damage level can be monitored through the modal parameters estimated using Finite Element Analyses (FEAs), but FEMs require to be calibrated to provide accountable results. In the proposed approach the FEM calibration was carried out using 3D motion data of a large number of passive markers. They were acquired and processed by a dedicated Displacement Data Processing (DDP) procedure combining the Savitzky-Golay filtering for data noise reduction and the convolution derivation approach for the extraction of the motion parameters. To obtain results in reasonable time between test steps (a few minutes) the methodology exploits the hardware and software resources available on the ENEA High-Performance Computing (HPC) system. Also, the proposed approach allowed to integrate within a single web interface the possibility to share the seismic experiments in real time, while providing updated FEM calibration at each step of the test sequence during the experimental session. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional pedagogical applications are based on the development of the class with scoreboard and board, and with slight advances in the handling of slides; however, the digital technologies present a series of innovations that complement the work of the teaching with autonomous learning, that can develop the educating in agrarian and environmental areas. The development of multimedia didactic material MDM complements the curricular activities of the courses, particularly those that have a laboratory, and on the other hand, generate in the student skills for autonomous learning. An MDM was developed for the learning of the practices carried out in the plant culture laboratory, with client/server architecture, using current technologies in software development, with realtime characteristics and under the paradigm of Development of isomorphic applications. Based on MDM, qualitative evaluation was carried out by undergraduate students in agricultural production, which reported 86% approval of the material. Digital learning tools were found to facilitate and improve learning of learners to some extent. The use of new technologies like React, allows to improve the rendering of the pages and optimizes the load of the server in the necessary requests by the Apprentice, and makes more efficient the teaching-learning gear. In this way, MDM will support the development of skills and skills in agrarian production and in the management of ecosystem species with natural environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual Labs (VLAB) is a multi-institutional Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative, exclusively focused on lab experiments for engineering education. This project envisages building a large OER repository, containing over 1650 virtual experiments mapped to the engineering curriculum. The introduction of VLAB is a paradigm shift in an educational system that is slow to change. Treating VLAB OER as an educational technology innovation, its adoption by potential-adopter engineering students (N=131) is modeled based on Roger's theory of perceived attributes. Regression and factor analysis were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that the attributes of Compatibility, Ease of Use, Relative Advantage, and Trialability significantly influence potential-adopter students' intention to adopt an innovation like VLAB. The study also observed that using OER (such as VLAB) on desktops and low-cost tablets had similar effects in student performance to using physical labs. This has interesting implications for education policy-makers who are looking to reduce the digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a method for designing a cam profile for an oscillating roller follower valve train. The software applications used in this study are Virtual Lab LMS and AutoCad. The first software was used for creating the cam profile, and the second software for the kinematic analysis of the new designed cam profile. Results show that the designed cam profile generates an almost identical valve lift as the one used as input data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the study of the influence of the valve train's dynamic behavior within the air intake process in the internal combustion engine. The software applications used in this study are Virtual Lab LMS and BOOST AVL. The first software was used for creating the valve train acting system, and the second software for the analysis of the engine intake process. Results show that the pumping work is influenced by the engine speed and the valve curve lift used in the analysis, cinematic or dynamic lift curve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current technology enables schools to provide remote or virtual computing labs. Virtual computing labs can be implemented in multiple ways ranging from remote access to banks of dedicated workstations to sophisticated access to large-scale servers hosting virtualized workstations. This paper reports on the implementation of a specific lab using remote access to dedicated workstations and supporting students enrolled in degree programs in management. Such a lab can be implemented at relatively low cost by reallocating resources dedicated to existing physical labs. Our virtual computing lab was implemented as part of wider initiative to incorporate mobile computing throughout the curriculum. The lab was intended to improve student access to school computing resources and provide a reliable and standardized software and hardware environment for use in management courses. Virtual computing labs pose significant challenges in configuration, operation, and administration. All of these challenges can be adequately addressed with sufficient planning and management. We provide direct comparisons of physical and virtual computing labs in the areas of security, administration, and cost. We report generally positive student perceptions of the virtual computing lab as compared to the previous physical computing lab with respect to accessibility, usability, and value, though those perceptions vary depending on student background and technical skill. Non-technical students can be overwhelmed or disoriented when using a virtual computing lab. Addressing this problem requires devoting sufficient resources to training, user interface design, and ongoing support for both student and faculty users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on psychological topics which include biofeedback, social interaction and electroencephalography.

Learning practical information communication technology skills such as network configuration and security planning requires hands-on experience with a number of different devices which may be unavailable or too costly to provide, especially for institutions under tight budget constraints. This paper describes how a specific open software technology, paravirtualization, can be used to set up open source virtual networking labs (VNLs) easily and at virtually no cost. The paper highlights how paravirtual labs can be adopted jointly by partner organizations, e.g., when the institution hosting the virtual lab provides hands-on training and students' skill evaluation as a service to partner institutions overseas. A practical VNL implementation, the open virtual lab (OVL), is used to describe the added value that open source VNLs can give to e-Learning frameworks, achieving a level of students' performance comparable or better than the one obtained when students directly interact with physical networking equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building and evaluating artifacts specifically for K-12 education, technologists committed to design sciences are needed along with an approach to evaluation increasing the systemic transfer from research and development into school settings. The authors describe THE VIRTUAL LAB scanning electronic microscope simulation, including (a) its development from a design and project management perspective at NASA and (b) the formative evaluation, drawing on a usability study conducted in high school science classrooms by University of Central Florida. The authors offer a four-level assessment that begins with the overarching vision that guided developers. Over time, a team of evaluators (a) verify (the artifact), (b) check variation (of content), (c) verify (in context), and (d) document value (in the field of education). THE VIRTUAL LAB usability study is offered as a specific example in the evaluation process using both quantitative and qualitative data while responding and contributing to an overarching vision for education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper represents and contextualizes the use of advanced technologies in a high school biology classroom to enhance inquiry in traditional science curriculum by drawing upon two years' worth of data. This paper presents the research-practitioners' reflections and understanding of the application of Type II technology's impact when integrated in service to authentic science education at the secondary level. The goal of this paper is twofold: (a) to demonstrate the effectiveness of Type TI applications of technology in creating an environment that allows students to be scientists in their own classroom, and (b) to provide a medium for the students' voices to convey the importance they attach to this type of opportunity. Obviously, a critical point is the role science educators must play in creating computer-mediated curricular models that nurture a community of learners, both in the immediate classroom and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What can you do to virtually teach the hands-on skills traditionally taught in labs? If you include simulations, active experimentation, discovery-learning techniques, numerous questions with detailed feedback, video, animations, and photographs, you can effectively teach practical hands-on skills through multimedia technology. Through discussion and demonstration, this session will highlight practical tips for implementing the instructional development cycle as well as uncommon but effective instructional design strategies for teaching practical skills. Some of the highlighted programs (such as a virtual chemistry lab) have pushed the boundaries of what can be accomplished with multimedia technology. By the end of this interactive session, participants (who can range from novices to experts) should be able to identify computer-based training applications that effectively use multimedia technology, generate examples of where new media technology can be appropriately used to virtually teach hands-on skills, and decide where to incorporate the strategies shown into their computer-based training productions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching and learning through Virtual Reality(VR) is an emerging technology in the last few years. In this article, the development and use of a VR based teaching–learning system for crystal structures are discussed. The VR system is designed as a lab environment where a user can do experiments related to crystal structures. The VR system is designed in Unity, 1 1 https://www.unity.com/. and Oculus Rift S 2 2 https://www.oculus.com/rift-s/. is used as a VR headset. Currently, the system consists of three phases; in the first phase user can visualize the crystal lattice structures, wherein the second one a user can visualize the light interaction with the crystal lattice structure using a virtual torch ray. The third phase is the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) experiment. In this phase, users can perform the XRD experiment in the lab environment by taking a random crystal from a crystal dispenser machine and placing it in the X-ray machine which identifies the chosen crystalline material and analyses the unit cell. The incident ray colour changes when there is a peak found in the crystal for a better understanding of the user. There is also an interactive display where users can increase/decrease the angles of the radiation and also lock and unlock the experiment to view the diffraction plot for the crystal structure. In many cases, it was found that XRD and the crystal structure is available in the course syllabus but there are no experiments to enhance their learning. Therefore an experiment with 39 participants was performed where the maximum participants are new to crystallography. The study was conducted in two phases; in the first phase, participants are asked to watch video tutorials of the topic followed by questionnaires; in the second phase participants are asked to do the VR based experiment and followed by questionnaires related to overall study and experiment. From the analysis of the study we found that everyone found VR based teaching methods are better than traditional book/video studies. Study results give an average score of 56.74% in comparison to VR based learning approach with an average score of 93.81%. Participants who took part in the experiment found the experience interactive and motivating and found it helpful to learn elusive concepts, which can be learned when simulated. For example, one participant wrote: "The VR experience was surreal and was easy to control. Lucid user experience. Got a view of XRD like never seen before". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an ongoing debate of which physical labs or virtual labs are better. To resolve this issue, a remote lab provides an online lab that can do real experiments to obtain real data from a distant physical lab. Instead of relying on a remote lab, this article suggests that students collect experimental data locally with low-cost data loggers and then model the data with a web tool that provides scaffold support like a remote lab or virtual lab. In this study, 32 tenth-grade students ran physics labs and collected data with NXT, smartphones, and digital video recorder. This study investigates how a web tool assists in data visualization, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, and regulation of the discovery process. Results indicated the students became more sensitive in applying strategies of parameter tuning and backtracking. Questionnaire responses indicated the students found such physical labs to be satisfying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]