Gamification Of Science Lab Practicals
The current technological advancement and rapid development in digital technologies have created new ways to engage students and meet the growing needs of education. Science education is considered to be the most integral part of today’s education system. In the past few years, implementing technology has seen a massive interest in stopping the decline in students’ motivation towards science learning and promoting scientific thinking.
Laboratory practicals play a very crucial role in the progress of science. Many path-breaking discoveries and inventions have been possible through investigations, usually in science laboratories. Labs are not only seen as an important part of science instruction, but they are also crucial in ensuring that students receive the exposure to promote interest in related fields while also promoting problem-solving skills, open-mindedness, and the opportunity to think for oneself.
In today’s technology-driven world, one would expect technology to help in every aspect of schools, including laboratory experiments. Gamification with simulation in a virtual 3D laboratory is a game changer technological adaptation in the education industry. Gamification, when applied to science concepts, is both educational and engaging.
The use of gaming elements and mechanics such as role-play, narratives, strategy, reward system, and collaboration can make lab practical feel like a game. The game mechanics will define how the whole lab simulation will be structured to gamify the whole experience. Both 3D simulation dynamics and useful mechanics can help to teach the lab practicals in an engaging way.
By turning routine lab viva questions and problems into quests and adventures in an immersive environment, students become more excited to perform experiments. Virtual Labs use 3D interactive digital contents, which involves using tools on a computer to aid instruction. They are examined and developed to overcome issues that often arise with some traditional labs due to lack of equipment, issues with equipment, or time constraints.
Virtual labs allow students to conduct laboratory experiments that were previously impossible due to a lack of equipment, the cost of performing particular labs, or the inability to conduct a traditional hands-on version of the lab.
Immersive Labz’s virtual laboratory, named “Simulab”, is an important initial step in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) training. In SimuLab, students get hands-on practical experience with real equipment. It allows performing experiments and getting results without using real laboratory installations and instruments. In SimuLab, students will work through real-life case stories related to the experiment’s application and learn about lab safety procedures and working practices.
True-to-life Virtual Science Labs at your fingertips
Below are some of the important characteristics of Simulab’s virtual science experiments:
- Real-World Gamified Scenarios – All the experiments are connected with their application use case in the real world.
- Gamification – Experiments are gamified to make them highly engaging and motivating
- Goal Oriented – Learning happens by enabling a realization
- Leverage Technologies – Such as VR, which facilitates visual comprehension through 3D representation
- Real-time Interactive – Highly interactive with dynamics and game mechanics
- Needs Critical Thinking – 100% thinking capacity of learners is required
- Knowledge Retention – Focused learning results in better knowledge retention
Due to these important elements, Simulab’s virtual lab provides a highly immersive gamified learning experience to science students.
Gamification can revolutionize science education. There is an immense potential for using gamification techniques to promote learners’ motivation, engagement, and performance. The educational process has not stopped developing over the years and has continuously adapted to technological advancement. It is crucial to adapt to our current needs and move forward with the new digital era. Gamification in science education is the right direction to help teachers engage their students to understand the concepts deeply while enjoying it.
SimuLab: True-to-life virtual science lab.
Writer – Navin Mandal
Co-Founder (Immersive Labz)
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