Physical and Virtual Laboratories in Science and Engineering Education
Abstract
The world needs young people who are skillful in and enthusiastic about science and who view science as their future career field. Ensuring that we will have such young people requires initiatives that engage students in interesting and motivating science experiences. Today, students can investigate scientific phenomena using the tools, data collection techniques, models, and theories of science in physical laboratories that support interactions with the material world or in virtual laboratories that take advantage of simulations. Here, we review a selection of the literature to contrast the value of physical and virtual investigations and to offer recommendations for combining the two to strengthen science learning.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Virtual experiments provide a unique opportunity to observe otherwise unobservable phenomena.
“virtual experiments provide a unique opportunity to observe otherwise unobservable phenomena [1]”
Virtual simulations do not provide every affordance that physical labs do.
“they do not provide every affordance the physical labs do”
Virtual simulations can only serve as a tool for preparation for lab work, not as a replacement for the physical lab in its entirety.
“An important note to the use of simulations is that they will only serve as a tool for preparation, not as a replacement for the physical lab in its entirety.”
Virtual and physical laboratories offer advantages that neither one can provide in itself.
“they offer advantages that neither one can provide in itself”
Virtual simulations cannot provide the same physical experiences and tactile information as physical labs.
“they are unable to provide the same physical experiences and tactile information as the physical lab [1]”
Physical experiences and tactile information are critical ingredients in lab learning.
“which represent critical ingredients in lab learning”
The need for investigation in science courses can be fulfilled by both virtual and physical investigations.
“the need for investigation in science courses, can be fulfilled by both virtual and physical investigations”
Cites
Barsalou, L. W. (2008) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093639 · Cited by 5,936 · see citing works
Does discovery-based instruction enhance learning?
Alfieri, L., Brooks, P. J., Aldrich, N. J., & Tenenbaum, H. R. (2011) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0021017 · Cited by 1,338 · see citing works
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Meta-Analysis of Inquiry-Based Learning: Effects of Guidance
Lazonder, A. W., & Harmsen, R. (2016) · Review of Educational Research · doi:10.3102/0034654315627366 · Cited by 967 · see citing works
Conditions for the Effectiveness of Multiple Visual Representations in Enhancing STEM Learning
Rau, M. A. (2017) · Educational Psychology Review · doi:10.1007/s10648-016-9365-3 · Cited by 281 · see citing works
Improving biotech education through gamified laboratory simulations
Bonde, M. T., Makransky, G., Wandall, J., Larsen, M. V., Morsing, M., Jarmer, H., & Sommer, M. O. A. (2014) · Nature Biotechnology · doi:10.1038/nbt.2955 · Cited by 243 · see citing works
Makransky, G., Thisgaard, M. W., & Gadegaard, H. (2016) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155895 · Cited by 212 · see citing works
Bumbacher, E., Salehi, S., Wieman, C., & Blikstein, P. (2018) · Journal of Science Education and Technology · doi:10.1007/s10956-017-9719-8 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Villanueva, O., Behmke, D. A., Morris, J. D., Simmons, R., Anfuso, C., Woodbridge, C. M., & Guo, Y. (2020) · Journal of Chemical Education · doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00752 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Petillion, R. J., & McNeil, W. S. (2021) · Journal of Chemical Education · doi:10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00549 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Wu, T., Sarwono, E., & Huang, Y. (2025) · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · doi:10.1111/jcal.70017 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
- Authors
- de Jong, T., Linn, M. C., & Zacharia, Z. C.
- Affiliations
- Department of Instructional Technology, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, Netherlands.
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- University of Cyprus (CY)
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2013-04-19
- Volume
- 340
- Issue
- 6130
- Pages
- 305-308
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2007295025
- Cited by
- 1,083
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 164 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 96 · 2023: 85 · 2022: 92 · 2021: 104 · 2020: 98 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 68 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 41 · 2015: 59 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 10
- FWCI
- 14.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Twente Research Information (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion)
- The Library of Electronic Cyprus Thematic Organized Collections (LYKYTHOS) (University of Cyprus) (submittedVersion)
- University of Twente Research Information (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- European Commission
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Media Technology › Experimental Learning in Engineering
- Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
- Social Sciences › Education › Educational Methods and Outcomes
- Keywords
- physical laboratory, virtual laboratory, science education, engineering education, simulation, hands-on experiments, student engagement, science learning
- MeSH terms
- Engineering, Laboratories, Physics, Science, User-Computer Interface
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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
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