Labster Virtual Simulations Exploration

Techquity Grant 2022/23

Partnership and Purpose:

Our Learning Technologies & Innovation team joined forces with instructors from Biology and Bioscience Technology (BioTech) to test out Labster's virtual labs. We chose Labster because it's popular among California's community colleges and offers a wide range of STEM simulations.

Selection Process:

We focused on simulations that met our college's accessibility standards. This requirement significantly narrowed down our options.

Challenges with Getting Started:

Getting this project off the ground took longer than expected, about a year. We faced delays with purchasing due to the need for various reviews and approvals. Even after resolving these initial issues, further delays occurred because of changes within Labster's sales team, complicating the process of obtaining student licenses. These setbacks led to a loss of confidence from our Biology faculty, who decided not to participate in the pilot.

Feedback from Instructors:

Only the BioTech program went ahead with testing the simulations with students. Although the Biology team didn't use the simulations in classes, they did explore Labster's offerings. They found the simulations interesting but not fully suited to replacing hands-on lab work, especially for Anatomy & Physiology courses. Similarly, the BioTech instructors and students felt that the simulations, while engaging, didn't fully address the program's educational needs.

Conclusion:

The goal of the Techquity Grants is to quickly test out educational tools to see if they can enhance student access and success. This trial showed us that Labster's simulations didn't meet our needs. It also underscored the importance of streamlining our purchasing process to more swiftly learn from our trials and make necessary adjustments.