ABSTRACT
Understanding the role of motivation in engaging students in laboratory skill education is crucial for learning and academic achievement. Physical laboratories in science are considered experiential learning environments where students develop high-level conceptual learning. Attitudes towards these laboratories affect the efficacy of skill training. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, computer-based virtual laboratories (VL) had emerged as a potential medium for skill training and experimentation, compatible with lockdown restrictions. However, there remains a significant gap in VL adoption due to the lack of awareness and familiarity of VL amongst teachers and students. This study examined the key motivational factors impacting the efficacy of VLs to teach students laboratory skills and tasks. The survey-based data for the study was collected using an intrinsic motivation inventory (IMI) scale, self-reported survey responses for extrinsic factors, and a teachers' VL perception scale. Independent sample t-test and automatic linear modeling (LINEAR) were used to analyze the data. The findings show that the animated graphic learning materials of VLs had a higher impact on students' intrinsic motivation than the e-book learning materials. The role of teachers was also crucial in increasing students' motivation levels for performing laboratory experiments using VL. the results also indicate performing VL experiments for longer durations or multiple times, positively influenced students' laboratory performance.
ABSTRACT
Access and personalized instruction required for laboratory education can be highly compromised due to regulatory constraints in times such as COVID-19 pandemic or resource shortages at other times. This directly impacts the student engagement and immersion that are necessary for conceptual and procedural understanding for scientific experimentation. While online and remote laboratories have potential to address the aforementioned challenges, theoretical perspectives of laboratory learning outcomes are critical to enhance their impact and are sparsely examined in the literature. Using Transactional Distance Theory (TDT), this paper addresses the gap through a case study on Universal Testing Machine (UTM). By comparing physical (PL-UTM) and remotely triggerable (RT-UTM) laboratory platforms, the structure and interactions as per TDT are analysed. Characterization of interactivity between remote learners and instructors disclose indicative parameters that affect transactional distances and aid in conceptual understanding in remote laboratory learning environment. An extensive pedagogical study through development of two instruments towards assessing conceptual understanding and perception of platform effectiveness that was conducted both on physical laboratory and RT-UTM showed: (1) remote users conducted experiments 3 times more frequently (2) completed assignments in 30% less time and (3) had over 200% improvement in scores when RT-UTM platform was integrated into mainstream learning. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41239-021-00272-z.