Examples from faculty teaching online science laboratory courses.
Universities using lab kits and other methods to offer lab sciences at a distance, University of Arkansas Distance Education Task Force Blog
Free online physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and math simulations, PhET project at the University of Colorado.
Home Dissection Kits and More, Inside Higher Ed
Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger Web Based Virtual Experiment, Department Process & Chemical Engineering, University College Cork
Physics simulations with Java, MyPhysicsLab You’ll see them animating in real time, and be able to interact with them by dragging objects or changing parameters like gravity.
No Test Tubes? Questions Arise On Virtual High School Science, New York Times
Interactive, online simulations for the life science laboratory or for earth science field studies, Sciencecourseware
Science Labs: Virtual Versus Simulated, THE Journal
Virtual Lab — Vivid Animations Help Students With Science Experiments, Science Daily
Science Labs of the Future, Converge
Biology Online Labs, McGraw-Hill Higher Education
In 2002, SDCCD Miramar College faculty developed and pilot tested an online biology laboratory course for non-science major students, Innovation Express
Thank you for including my T.H.E. article in your list.
To summarize, I make two important points.
1. Simulations (Java applets, Flash animations, etc.) do not provide a true science laboratory experience and even distort the concept of the nature of science. They are not a valid substitute for a good science lab.
2. Because you cannot get all of the science you’d like from at-home experiments, they should be supplemented by something; I recommend prerecorded real experiments. They do not distort the nature of science.
As more and more companies and individuals develop simulated labs, we absolutely must stand firm against using these in place of good hands-on lab experience.
I’m amazed at how technology is changing teaching! What a boon for students in rural settings to be able to exposed to science experiments requiring equipment beyond the scope of their small school laboratories.
Now, when they come up with an online microbiology simulation, I will be the first to sign up for a course. That was one of my favourite courses in my whole college career. If I had it to do all over again, I would probably be a microbiologist.
@Norma Rickman:
Why have a microbiology simulation when you can have actual microbiology material photographed in laboratories and presented to you on the Internet?
You’ll find plenty of drawings and animations to use in understanding concepts. Simulations are just the same thing with allowing you to page through them.
A picture of worth a thousand words. Real images are worth lots more than drawings for understanding real science rather than what some book or animator wishes you to memorize.
Use drawings and animations and simulations for concepts. Use the real thing for science.
Funny, I was actually just reading another blog from someone in the UK who talked about setting up a ‘virtual lab’ for students of Genetics. The virtual lab is created inside of this virtual reality game called ‘Second Life’. I questioned how one could study a physical ‘life’ science through a virtual medium. I mean, unless you can reduce the science to mere mathematics, functions and equations, is it not quite concievable that you can not learn what life has to reveal, through a completely artificial environment?
Of course, basic lab procedures, sure, but what are you going to find under a virtual microscope of your own design, other than something of your own design?
cheers