The Importance of Integrating Virtual Laboratories into ELearning Environments

ELearning is indeed an innovative concept. It has revolutionised the field of education and has made learning effective, easy and simple. The concept requires the education systems around the world to alter each and every aspect of quality educational process, including the role of teachers and the nature of learning.

What is a Virtual Laboratory?

These labs offer an interactive virtual environment that allows the learners to conduct and create simulated experiments on their own.

Just the idea of being able to perform online experiments is mesmerising for the students.

It enables a student to draw a comparison between different scenarios and take notes with the luxury of restarting the application at his/her own leisure. E-learners will also be able to run a sequence of experiments that may produce accurate results.

The Importance of Integrating Virtual Laboratories into ELearning Environments

The Importance of Integrating Virtual Laboratories into ELearning Environments ( Waiting for approval)

Virtual Labs Explored

The primary aim of setting up a virtual class or lab should be to provide e-leaners the access to all applications, tools and simulations.

Only after the fulfilments of these prerequisites will an institute be able to provide a conducive space for collaboration, communication and experimentation to their students.

The idea is to use the web in a way that will make the prospect of learning from home both easier and more exciting. E-learners, especially the ones living in remote areas should be encouraged to learn at their own desired pace.

The institutes will have to ensure access of these labs to all the students because the virtual environment of these labs is somewhat analogous to the physical ones.

Advantages of Setting up Virtual Labs

Virtual labs bring the idea of “learning by doing” to life. They can also help us with issues that make gaining access to such systems impossible like cost and security. Some of the benefits of virtual labs are as follows:

· E-learners are able to explore multiple scenarios. All they have to do is change their input in order to observe a different virtual output.

· The teachers can use this interface to teach remote leaners how they may use real labs. It is an interactive platform that will allow the teacher to assist the student at every step.

· It will also allow the teachers and students to give instant feedback. Furthermore, students will have an option redo their experiment multiple times.

· The communication between students and teachers will also improve drastically.

· Teachers can record all the results of the experiments being conducted by the students.

· Students may not be able to measure results at such an accurate level in the real labs as they can in virtual labs. This gives e-learners an upper hand.

· The labs will increase the rates of scientific research because they require a person to put in less effort and save time.

· E-learners will have much deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

· E-learners will also have the luxury of performing lab experiments at any place or time of their liking.

· The labs will synchronise the process of practical application and theoretical ideas hence playing a big role in increasing the efficiency and performance of learners living in remote areas.

· The institutes will have a chance to use the latest technologies to help them with their experiments as companies responsible for building virtual labs will continue to stay ahead of each other. This will improve the quality of e-learning education.

Comfortable Environment

Virtual labs can add a bit of fun to a person’s learning experience. The experience will be more positive if the student is in a comfortable workspace. A sound ELearning environment is very crucial. It allows e-learners to open their minds and think beyond their intellectual horizons. Choosing vibrant themes and enticing living room oak furniture might also help the e-learners deduce a clear learning objective. Furthermore, a large LED placed upon a computer desk is the perfect set up for a student on a virtual course. The desk not only provides comfort but style too.

The virtual labs can help the students in translating their concepts and ideas into skills and bridge the ever-increasing gap between experience and education. They would also give them an opportunity to put their newly developed skills to test in this interconnected world.