Learning Outcomes of Virtual Labs compared to Hands-On Labs With many schools experiencing budget issues or simply don’t have the room nor the ability to justify the extra expense of a science lab, many schools are looking online for virtual resources. The need to increase science literacy is almost a mandate from our dear president. This is a good thing, but the problem is people don’t want to spend money. NGSS demands more cognitive understanding of all sciences and engineering practices. Schools are looking to increase the level of science achievement of their students. Students generally found lab experiences valuable, and viewed lab experiences as beneficial to their learning. (Pyatt, 2012, p. 145) Definitions Technology and virtual …show more content…
A special version of an online class is called a “MOOC: massive open online courses that make university lectures available to tens of thousands of students at a time.” (Waldrop, 2013, para 1) These are free to any user, and as such, anybody can use them. In comparison, a hands-on lab is performed with physical manipulatives, with reusable or consumable items within a classroom setting. This includes any glassware, chemicals, animals, and measurement tools necessary. Hands-on labs refer to any activity that does not use a computer or other virtual environment to aid in performing the experiment or activity. Method A search of research articles was conducted through the resources and databases available through the Jerry Falwell Library online at Liberty University Online, physically located in Georgia. The most useful databases were Wiley, ProQuest, Springer, and ScienceDirect. The following key words were used to help narrow search results: virtual learning, virtual science labs, virtual labs high school, virtual lab comparison. The results gave several examples of peer-reviewed studies performed within middle school, high school, and basic college courses for the purpose of exploring the usefulness of virtual labs in biology, chemistry and physics classrooms. Since virtual labs are still a newer research topic within the last decade, there was no time frame limitations placed on
I assessed the students’ intellectual involvement during the Science Tool Learning Center and the Help Harry STEM activity. The assessment included worksheets, designing a perch, and a survey of the students’ teamwork efforts. During the learning center, the students had to complete a worksheet the corresponded with the station they were currently at. For example, at the balance station, the students had to follow the prompts by using the balance and answering the questions on the worksheet. Not only did they have to have their “minds-on” to complete the worksheet, they were also involved in “hands-on” activities by using the science tools. Furthermore, during the Help Harry STEM activity, the students were instructed to design and build a
I have always been interested in science, but the hands on experiments have helped me understand and grasp concepts much easier. I recall my first experiment in first grade when the class was given the lima bean sprout experiment, which required students to plant a bean in a paper cup. The purpose of this experiment was to teach us about photosynthesis and practice our observation skills. I recall how others were fascinated about why their sprout grew. I, on the other hand, was more captivated by why the other sprouts did not grow and the factors, which contributed to that outcome. This basic experiment taught me to look at things through different lenses and not always to the most obvious path.
From collaborative learning inside of the student’s clusters of desk to hands-on lessons in STEM discovery, Galaviz is continually working to push the STEM envelope at Garfield Elementary. She hosts a Saturday STEM club for 4th - 6th graders, and recently, through a two-year grant funded by NASA and a partnership with Boise State University, she has trail-blazed even more at home learning opportunities. For K-6, each classroom now has the ability to take STEM backpacks home over the weekend. With three different lesson plans, students can now bring STEM home, experimenting and creating with the help of their
In Week Three through Week Eight, you conduct scientific experiments in an online lab environment. The content of the labs vary with each week but the structure remains the same. This week, review your Week Three lab instructions and assignment to become acquainted with the essential elements of each lab. You are not required to complete the actual lab this week, but rather to locate various pieces of information about the labs to help prepare for completion of the labs in Week Three through Week Eight.
The WebQuery, the 5E lesson plan, and the field trip guide, are examples of through which students engage in investigations that enhance learning and that helps them meet the NGSS. These artifacts also indicate my ability to develop lesson plans that promote the learning of science; that align content to the NGSS; that demonstrate the use of assessment to ensure that the students are meeting the standards; and that showcase the use of literature to support grouping strategies and lesson rationale
Integrating other learning areas in our unit of work and exercising more resources that teachers can use in the classroom base upon our science unit is also a crucial element that our group was missing that needed to be included in our presentation. The classroom environment should include lots of books, visual materials, ICT devices and activities to facilitate learning and keep the student’s interests by promoting questioning and discussion to stimulate their science thinking processes and skills in a creative and encouraging environment. (Pitcher, 2014)
These lab equipments and books reflect the scientific knowledge and skills program, which is part of our learning learning framework. “Science learning during the early childhood years encourages children to discover the world around them and refine their understanding of it” (Fuentes, 2010).
Christy Llanes is an AP Biology, Biology, and AP Environmental Science teacher that educates students at Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy; she works with 8th-12th graders. Christy is also the head of the SECME Club, as well as the Head Chair of the Science Department. She believes her Science department offers an innovative and cutting edge program. Students learn to be critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and decision making citizens about the science and technology issues that encounter our society. Her 21st century teaching enables students to become future leaders who are able to overcome past scientific difficulties. Technology is utilized for a myriad of applications such as interpreting real-time data and using simulation software.
To summarize, the topic presented in this article is about online courses which are widely used in colleges providing easy access to course materials, classroom discussions, and feedback to instructors. The course materials and activities may be accessed from any computer, whether it is from the University or from the comfort of your own home.
Through this standard, teachers will engage all students in science by setting goals for students that correlate to state and national standards. Through various strategies (i.e. learning activities, instructional settings, technology) students will achieve the goals set by the teacher and fair assessment strategies will be used to determine if the goals were met. Through the use of laboratory/field settings and various technology, students will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of science. Teachers will also design lesson plans that provide opportunities for active inquiry in which students can collect and interpret data in order to develop and understand various scientific processes. Fair assessment strategies will also be used to evaluate students and their preconceptions and understandings that have been
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were presented in 2013 as a response to the need for rigorous standards reflective of current STEM culture. The NGSS define the disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts between each of the four science domains (NGSS Lead States, 2013). The three interrelated areas emphasize solid content knowledge exercised in real-world application. While these standards can potentially raise the classroom’s current rigor, they are still in the beginning phases of implementation (“Next Generation Science Standards”, 2016). In addition, the logistics of transitioning to radically new standards are both a financial and time constraint in most school
Online college courses are almost becoming traditional for students. Some may perceive that a student does not receive an equal education when taking an online class. People tend to think that if a teacher is not directly giving the information about the subject, the course learning experience is different or unjust. This assumption is wrong according to the perception of many online course takers. Online college courses offer students the advantage to learn on their own time. The skills that a student learns in self-discipline, scheduling to complete graded assignments, and advantages learned with technology gives online classes equal education experience compared to classes on campus.
Virtual laboratory also provide educational benefits. One of it is virtual laboratory let students to learn methodology, pedagogy and user friendly. In normal laboratory class, some student did not really able to understand some concepts that teach in the lab. However, studies have found that instead of using the real lab, it is easier for the students to learn difficult and complex concepts through the virtual laboratory. Studies also found that students are more active in learning in a virtual laboratory rather than in a real lab class. This is because virtual laboratory provides a user friendly environment and easy to understand the concepts. Experiments can be repeated many times and there are no inconveniences in failing the
Online education is a type of distance learning. The student is taking courses without attending a school or university. Instead, online students and teachers interact over the Internet. Online classes can teach students educational responsibility. By forcing them to access the online portal to participate in reading the textbooks/lectures and doing the assignments. Technical abilities is also learned with online classes. Students who lack the tech savvy knowledge can learn how to navigate through the online environment. Being able to access the online portal at any given time of the day is one other benefit to online education. Though online education may seem beneficial, there are more negatives than
On the other hand, an online course permits students the option and availability to enroll in a vast array of course choices regardless of their location. In so doing, it allows a student a unique opportunity to further their education anywhere in the world. After all, if one is in the United States or on a military base in Japan students can still attain an education from their home country and in their mother tongue via the Internet. However, lessons that take place in a physical classroom are confined to that location. Thus, students situated within the nearby vicinity of the school building typically can access the instructor’s lessons. Consequently, this creates a clear disadvantage to any student residing outside of the classroom’s surrounding area.