A comparative study on the use of physical and e-labs: a case study at University of Delhi
Main Article Content
Abstract
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has shifted from traditional classroom teaching to digital platforms and ‘screen-based' education. The use of e-labs for practical component has raised multiple questions about the effectiveness in bringing precise learning outcomes. The present work comprehends the experience of more than 500 undergraduate science students at the University of Delhi about the use of virtual labs and analyzes their inclination towards the online education system as compared to the physical mode system in reference to practical work. The input from students has been gauged via an online questionnaire. A majority (65%) of survey respondents show their preference for the physical mode of practical education than the virtual mode. It is concluded that the blended mode of teaching and learning promises to benefit students more, rather than shifting the education system entirely to an online mode.
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Soni, N., & Bhola, J. (2022). A comparative study on the use of physical and e-labs: a case study at University of Delhi. SAMRIDDHI : A Journal of Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology, 14(01), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.18090/samriddhi.v14i01.2
Section
Research Article
References
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virtual laboratory training through student perceptions: a case
study in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University
of Hong Kong, Engineering Education, 4(2), 70-74.doi: https://
doi.org/10.11120/ened.2009.04020070
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Clausen Ed. (2015). A Comparison of the Degree of Student
Satisfaction using a Simulation or a Traditional Wet Lab to Teach
Physical Properties of Ice, Journal of Food Science and Education,
14, 24-29.doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4329.12049
[3] Ali, L. (2021). The shift to online Education paradigm due to
COVID-19: A study of Student’s Behaviour in UAE Universities
Environment, International Journal of Information and Education
Technology, 11(3), 131-136.doi:https://doi.org/10.18178/
ijiet.2021.11.3.1501
[4] Casanova R. S., Civeli J. L., Kimbrough D. R., Heath B. P.& Reeves
J. H. (2006).Distance Learning: available alternative to the
conventional lecture lab format in general chemistry, Journal
of Chemistry Education, 83(3), 501-507.
[5] Biocca, F., Harms, C. & Burgoon, J. K. (2003). Towards a
More Robust Theory and Measure of Social Presence:
Review and Suggested Criteria. Presence: Tele-operators
and Virtual Environments, 12 (5), 456–480.doi:https://doi.
org/10.1162/105474603322761270
[6] Fraser, B., & Walberg, H. (2005). Research on teacher–student
relationships and learning environments: Context, retrospect
and prospect. International Journal of Educational Research, 43,
103-109.
[7] Yang K. Y. & Heh J. S. (2007). The impact of internet virtual
physics laboratory instruction on the achievement in Physics,
science process skills and computer attitudes of 10th grade
students, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16, 451-
461. Retrieved August 10, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.
org/p/76275/
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Higher Education, 49(21):A30 Available from: http://chronicle.
com/article/The-Virtual-Lab-Experiment/267778. (Accessed
on 25 March 2021)
[9] Gupta, M.M., Jankie, S., Pancholi, S.S., Talukdar, D., Sahu, P.K.& Sa,
B. (2020). Asynchronous Environment Assessment: A Pertinent
Option for Medical and Allied Health Profession Education
During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Education Sciences, 10, 352.
doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10120352
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coronavirus (Accessed on 25 March 2021)
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learning, International Journal of Information and Education
Technology, 8(10),706-712.doi: https://doi.org/10.18178/
ijiet.2018.8.10.1126
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doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.06.004
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Solutions. (2023). International Journal of Engineering &
Extended Technologies Research (IJEETR), 5(2), 6275-6281.
https://doi.org/10.15662/IJEETR.2023.0502004
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Students´ perceptions on distance education: A multinational
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Education, 17, 1–18.doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-
00194-2
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learners in Singapore, International Journal of Information and
Education Technology, 5(5), 348-353.doi:https://doi.org/10.7763/
IJIET.2015.V5.528
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of virtual training for bioscience students, Higher Education
Pedagogies, 4(1), 287-299.doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/237526
96.2019.1599689
[19] Ayesh, Z. (2004).Methods of Teaching Science, Jordan: Dar Al Shorouk
for Publishing and Distribution.
[20] Meccawy, M.(2017). Raisinga Programmer: Teaching Saudi Children
How to Code. Journal on Educational Technology, 4, 56-65.
[21] Babateen, H. M. (2011). The role of virtual lab in Science Education.
5th International Conference on Distance Learning and Education 2011
(pp. 100–104). IACSIT Press, Singapore.
[22] Afgan, E., Sloggett, C., Goonasekera, N., Makunin, I., Benson,
D., Crowe, M., et al. (2015). Genomics Virtual Laboratory:
A Practical Bioinformatics Workbench for the Cloud. PLoS
ONE 10(10): e0140829. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.
pone.0140829
[23] Falode, O. C. and Onasanya, S. A. (2015). Teaching and learning
e cacy of virtual laboratory package on selected Nigerian
secondary school Physics concepts. Chemistry: Bulgarian
Journal of Science Education, 24(4), 572-83.
[24] Sun, K.-t., Lin, Y.-c., & Yu, C.-j. (2008). A study on learning e ect
among di erent learning styles in a Web-based lab of science
for elementary school students. Computers & Education, 50(4),
1411–1422. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2007.01.003
[25] Tuysuz, C. (2010). The e ect of the virtual laboratory on Students’
achievement and attitude in chemistry. International Online Journal
on Educational Sciences, 2(1), 37-53.
[26] Toth, E.E. (2016). Analyzing “real-world” anomalous data after
experimentation with a virtual laboratory. Education Technology
Research and Development, 64(1), 157–173.doi: https://doi.
org/10.1007/s11423-015-9408-3
[27] Venkata Krishna Bharadwaj Parasaram. (2021). Explainable Machine
Learning Models for Improving Decision Making in Project Portfolio
Management. Darpan International Research Analysis, 9(1), 12–21.
https://doi.org/10.36676/dira.v9.i1.188
[28] Widodo, A., Maria, R.A.& Fitriani, A. (2017). Constructivist learning
environment during virtual and real laboratory activities.
Biosainti ka 9(1), 11–18.doi: https://doi.org/10.15294/biosainti ka.
v9i1.7959
[29] Aljuhani, K., Sonbul, M., Althabiti, M. & Meccawy, M. (2018).
Creating a Virtual Science Lab (VSL): the adoption of virtual
labs in Saudi schools, Smart Learning Environments, 5:16. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-018-0067-9
[30] Cann, A.J. (2016). Increasing student engagement with practical
classes through online pre-lab quizzes. Journal of Biological
Education, 50(1), 101–112. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/002192
66.2014.986182
[31] Pyatt, K. and Sims, R. (2012). Virtual and physical experimentation
in inquiry-based science labs: Attitudes,performanceandaccess.
JournalofScienceEducationTechnology,21,133–147. doi: https://
doi.org/10.1007/s10956-011-9291-6
[32] Potkonjak, V., Gardner, M., Callaghan, V., Mattila, P., Gütl, C.,
Petrovid, V. M., & Jovanovid, K. (2016). Virtual laboratories
for education in science, technology, and engineering: A
review. Computers & Education, 95(April2016), 309-327. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.02.002
[33] Johnson, N., Veletsianos, G. &Seaman J. (2020).U.S. faculty and
administrators experiences and approaches in the early weks
of the COVID-19 pandemic, Online Learning, 24(2), 6-21.
[34] Kerlinger, F. (1986). Foundations of behavioral research (3rd ed.).
Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
[35] WHITLEY, B. E. (2002). Principals of Research and Behavioural
Science, Boston, McGraw-Hill.
[36] Nalluri, S. K., & Parasaram, V. K. B. (2015). Automating
Software Builds with Jenkins: Design Patterns and Failure
Handling. International Journal of Technology, Management
and Humanities, 1(01), 16-33.
https://doi.org/10.21590/ijtmh.01.02.03
[37] Hebebci, M.T.; Bertiz, Y.; Alan, S. (2020). Investigation of Views of
Students and Teachers on Distance Education Practices during
the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, International Journal
Technology in Education and Science, 4, 267–282.doi:https://
doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.v4i4.113
[38] Dhawan, S. (2020). Online Learning: A Panacea in the Time of
Covid-19 Crisis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49,
5–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018
[39] Ferraro, F. V., Ambra, F. I., Aruta, L. & Iavarone, M. L. (2020).
Distance Learning in the COVID-19 Era: Perceptions in Southern
Italy. Education Sciences, 10, 355. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/
educsci10120355
[40] Arora, K.A.& Srinivasan, R. (2020). Impact of Pandemic COVID-19
on the Teaching—Learning Process: A Study of Higher Education
Teachers. Prabandhan Indian Journal of Management, 13, 43–
56.doi: https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i4/ 151825
[41] Polly, P., Marcus, N., Maguire, D., Belinson, Z., Velan, G.M. (2014).
Evaluation of an adaptive virtual laboratory environment
using Western Blotting for diagnosis of disease. BMC Medical
Education, 14, 222. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-14-
222J
[42] Scheckler, R.K. (2003). Virtual labs: A substitute for traditional
labs? International Journal of Developmental Biology, 47, 231–236.
PMID: 12705675.
virtual laboratory training through student perceptions: a case
study in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University
of Hong Kong, Engineering Education, 4(2), 70-74.doi: https://
doi.org/10.11120/ened.2009.04020070
[2] Crandall, P G., Bryan, C., Killian, S. A., Beck D E., Jarvis, N. &
Clausen Ed. (2015). A Comparison of the Degree of Student
Satisfaction using a Simulation or a Traditional Wet Lab to Teach
Physical Properties of Ice, Journal of Food Science and Education,
14, 24-29.doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4329.12049
[3] Ali, L. (2021). The shift to online Education paradigm due to
COVID-19: A study of Student’s Behaviour in UAE Universities
Environment, International Journal of Information and Education
Technology, 11(3), 131-136.doi:https://doi.org/10.18178/
ijiet.2021.11.3.1501
[4] Casanova R. S., Civeli J. L., Kimbrough D. R., Heath B. P.& Reeves
J. H. (2006).Distance Learning: available alternative to the
conventional lecture lab format in general chemistry, Journal
of Chemistry Education, 83(3), 501-507.
[5] Biocca, F., Harms, C. & Burgoon, J. K. (2003). Towards a
More Robust Theory and Measure of Social Presence:
Review and Suggested Criteria. Presence: Tele-operators
and Virtual Environments, 12 (5), 456–480.doi:https://doi.
org/10.1162/105474603322761270
[6] Fraser, B., & Walberg, H. (2005). Research on teacher–student
relationships and learning environments: Context, retrospect
and prospect. International Journal of Educational Research, 43,
103-109.
[7] Yang K. Y. & Heh J. S. (2007). The impact of internet virtual
physics laboratory instruction on the achievement in Physics,
science process skills and computer attitudes of 10th grade
students, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16, 451-
461. Retrieved August 10, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.
org/p/76275/
[8] Carnevale D. (2021). The virtual lab experiment” Chronicle
Higher Education, 49(21):A30 Available from: http://chronicle.
com/article/The-Virtual-Lab-Experiment/267778. (Accessed
on 25 March 2021)
[9] Gupta, M.M., Jankie, S., Pancholi, S.S., Talukdar, D., Sahu, P.K.& Sa,
B. (2020). Asynchronous Environment Assessment: A Pertinent
Option for Medical and Allied Health Profession Education
During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Education Sciences, 10, 352.
doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10120352
[10] UNESCO (2020). COVID-19 Educational disruption and response,
Impact on education. [online]. Available: http://en.unesco.org/
covid19/educationresponse (Accessed on 25 March 2021)
[11] Murphy, A.(2019). The future of online learning, Online studies,
Available: https://www.onlinestudies.com/article/the-futureof-
online-learning/ (Accessed on 25 March 2021).
[12] Baum, S.E. (2020). Distance Learning during Corona Virus: How
it works, bene ts and challenges, Teen-Vogue, 2020. Available:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/distance-learning-schoolscolleges-
coronavirus (Accessed on 25 March 2021)
[13] Despres-Bedward, A., Avery T. L. & Phirangee, K. (2018). Student
perspectives on the role of instructor in face to face and online
learning, International Journal of Information and Education
Technology, 8(10),706-712.doi: https://doi.org/10.18178/
ijiet.2018.8.10.1126
[14] Gikandi, J. W., Morrow, D., & Davis, N. E. (2011). Online
formative assessment in higher education: A review of the
literature. Computers & Education, 57(4), 2333–2351. doi:https://
doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.06.004
[15] Next-Gen Life Sciences Manufacturing: A Scalable Framework
for AI-Augmented MES and RPA-Driven Precision Healthcare
Solutions. (2023). International Journal of Engineering &
Extended Technologies Research (IJEETR), 5(2), 6275-6281.
https://doi.org/10.15662/IJEETR.2023.0502004
[16] Fidalgo, P., Thormann, J., Kulyk, O.& Lencastre, J. A. (2020).
Students´ perceptions on distance education: A multinational
study, International Journalof Educational Technology in Higher
Education, 17, 1–18.doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-
00194-2
[17] Guan, C., et al. (2015). E-learning in higher education for adult
learners in Singapore, International Journal of Information and
Education Technology, 5(5), 348-353.doi:https://doi.org/10.7763/
IJIET.2015.V5.528
[18] Coleman S. K. and Smith C. L. (2019). Evaluating the bene ts
of virtual training for bioscience students, Higher Education
Pedagogies, 4(1), 287-299.doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/237526
96.2019.1599689
[19] Ayesh, Z. (2004).Methods of Teaching Science, Jordan: Dar Al Shorouk
for Publishing and Distribution.
[20] Meccawy, M.(2017). Raisinga Programmer: Teaching Saudi Children
How to Code. Journal on Educational Technology, 4, 56-65.
[21] Babateen, H. M. (2011). The role of virtual lab in Science Education.
5th International Conference on Distance Learning and Education 2011
(pp. 100–104). IACSIT Press, Singapore.
[22] Afgan, E., Sloggett, C., Goonasekera, N., Makunin, I., Benson,
D., Crowe, M., et al. (2015). Genomics Virtual Laboratory:
A Practical Bioinformatics Workbench for the Cloud. PLoS
ONE 10(10): e0140829. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.
pone.0140829
[23] Falode, O. C. and Onasanya, S. A. (2015). Teaching and learning
e cacy of virtual laboratory package on selected Nigerian
secondary school Physics concepts. Chemistry: Bulgarian
Journal of Science Education, 24(4), 572-83.
[24] Sun, K.-t., Lin, Y.-c., & Yu, C.-j. (2008). A study on learning e ect
among di erent learning styles in a Web-based lab of science
for elementary school students. Computers & Education, 50(4),
1411–1422. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2007.01.003
[25] Tuysuz, C. (2010). The e ect of the virtual laboratory on Students’
achievement and attitude in chemistry. International Online Journal
on Educational Sciences, 2(1), 37-53.
[26] Toth, E.E. (2016). Analyzing “real-world” anomalous data after
experimentation with a virtual laboratory. Education Technology
Research and Development, 64(1), 157–173.doi: https://doi.
org/10.1007/s11423-015-9408-3
[27] Venkata Krishna Bharadwaj Parasaram. (2021). Explainable Machine
Learning Models for Improving Decision Making in Project Portfolio
Management. Darpan International Research Analysis, 9(1), 12–21.
https://doi.org/10.36676/dira.v9.i1.188
[28] Widodo, A., Maria, R.A.& Fitriani, A. (2017). Constructivist learning
environment during virtual and real laboratory activities.
Biosainti ka 9(1), 11–18.doi: https://doi.org/10.15294/biosainti ka.
v9i1.7959
[29] Aljuhani, K., Sonbul, M., Althabiti, M. & Meccawy, M. (2018).
Creating a Virtual Science Lab (VSL): the adoption of virtual
labs in Saudi schools, Smart Learning Environments, 5:16. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-018-0067-9
[30] Cann, A.J. (2016). Increasing student engagement with practical
classes through online pre-lab quizzes. Journal of Biological
Education, 50(1), 101–112. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/002192
66.2014.986182
[31] Pyatt, K. and Sims, R. (2012). Virtual and physical experimentation
in inquiry-based science labs: Attitudes,performanceandaccess.
JournalofScienceEducationTechnology,21,133–147. doi: https://
doi.org/10.1007/s10956-011-9291-6
[32] Potkonjak, V., Gardner, M., Callaghan, V., Mattila, P., Gütl, C.,
Petrovid, V. M., & Jovanovid, K. (2016). Virtual laboratories
for education in science, technology, and engineering: A
review. Computers & Education, 95(April2016), 309-327. doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.02.002
[33] Johnson, N., Veletsianos, G. &Seaman J. (2020).U.S. faculty and
administrators experiences and approaches in the early weks
of the COVID-19 pandemic, Online Learning, 24(2), 6-21.
[34] Kerlinger, F. (1986). Foundations of behavioral research (3rd ed.).
Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
[35] WHITLEY, B. E. (2002). Principals of Research and Behavioural
Science, Boston, McGraw-Hill.
[36] Nalluri, S. K., & Parasaram, V. K. B. (2015). Automating
Software Builds with Jenkins: Design Patterns and Failure
Handling. International Journal of Technology, Management
and Humanities, 1(01), 16-33.
https://doi.org/10.21590/ijtmh.01.02.03
[37] Hebebci, M.T.; Bertiz, Y.; Alan, S. (2020). Investigation of Views of
Students and Teachers on Distance Education Practices during
the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, International Journal
Technology in Education and Science, 4, 267–282.doi:https://
doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.v4i4.113
[38] Dhawan, S. (2020). Online Learning: A Panacea in the Time of
Covid-19 Crisis. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 49,
5–22. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239520934018
[39] Ferraro, F. V., Ambra, F. I., Aruta, L. & Iavarone, M. L. (2020).
Distance Learning in the COVID-19 Era: Perceptions in Southern
Italy. Education Sciences, 10, 355. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/
educsci10120355
[40] Arora, K.A.& Srinivasan, R. (2020). Impact of Pandemic COVID-19
on the Teaching—Learning Process: A Study of Higher Education
Teachers. Prabandhan Indian Journal of Management, 13, 43–
56.doi: https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i4/ 151825
[41] Polly, P., Marcus, N., Maguire, D., Belinson, Z., Velan, G.M. (2014).
Evaluation of an adaptive virtual laboratory environment
using Western Blotting for diagnosis of disease. BMC Medical
Education, 14, 222. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-14-
222J
[42] Scheckler, R.K. (2003). Virtual labs: A substitute for traditional
labs? International Journal of Developmental Biology, 47, 231–236.
PMID: 12705675.