{"id":61330,"date":"2022-02-02T02:58:58","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T07:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=61330"},"modified":"2022-02-02T02:58:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T07:58:58","slug":"virtual-labs-can-help-students-learn-but-they-cant-replace-hands-on-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/virtual-labs-can-help-students-learn-but-they-cant-replace-hands-on-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Virtual labs can help students learn, but they can\u2019t replace hands-on experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nAn ill newborn\u2019s life is hanging by a thread, and only\u00a0the right diagnosis<\/a>\u00a0will afford her the treatment that may save her life. A cancer patient\u2019s\u00a0therapy can be tailored<\/a>\u00a0to the specific type of tumour they have, if only the doctors know what the molecular targets are that will make the drugs effective for that patient. Parents may\u00a0finally get a name<\/a>\u00a0for the syndrome that their child has been living with.<\/p>\n

All of this can be achieved by sequencing the genome of a patient. A genome is\u00a0a set of genetic instructions<\/a>\u00a0that can be deduced through examining blood or saliva. When scientists sequence genomes, they are involved in interpreting the changes between one individual and another and by determining the changes that explain a disease, provide a diagnosis or predict the best treatment.<\/p>\n

At the University of Toronto, I teach students how to\u00a0run the experiments to analyze a genome<\/a>. The students learn how to sequence the genome, what the data looks like and how the results can be used to provide a diagnosis or choose the right medication. Virtual labs or \u201clab simulations\u201d offer a way to experience the experimental steps for a biological experiment on a screen. Even before the pandemic started, I was experimenting with virtual labs in my classroom.<\/p>\n

Some lab work continued in person<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Virtual labs for genome sequencing, like\u00a0virtual labs in some other sciences<\/a>, offer some advantages and opportunities for student learning. However, virtual labs for genome sequencing are not a replacement for hands-on, wet lab experience (where biological matter can be analyzed and tested by using various liquids<\/a>), and are certainly not replacing in-person training for professional purposes.<\/p>\n

Even when other instruction was moved online due to COVID-19, some wet\u00a0lab courses<\/a>\u00a0have continued in person since the summer of 2020. I spoke with\u00a0Ahlia Khan-Trottier<\/a>, director of the division of teaching labs at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, who relayed that in the pandemic, \u201clab courses took various paths as decided by the course co-ordinators\/departments \u2014 some remained fully in person with COVID-19 measures in place, some were hybrid and others moved fully online.\u201d<\/p>\n

In my case, a lab course in the department of molecular genetics where the students were going to run a sequencing experiment was postponed. It ran five months later with the necessary COVID-19 measures in place.<\/p>\n

Move to online labs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Studies<\/a>\u00a0have shown that virtual genetics labs can enhance comprehension and motivation, thus\u00a0improving the learning experience<\/a>. Students click on a tube to open the lid of a vessel or turn the wheel of a virtual pipette \u2014 a hand-held device to transfer small amounts of liquids \u2014 to transfer reagents from one container to another. No lab coat is required, no expensive machines and no dangerous chemicals.<\/p>\n

In a virtual lab, there are no restrictions to the cost of an experiment, whether clinical specimens can be used, and no ethical concerns or biohazards to contend with. Virtual labs are very \u201cforgiving.\u201d Students can start over,\u00a0reagents<\/a>\u00a0are abundantly available and the game-like feeling is rewarding.<\/p>\n

Virtual labs bridge theory and practice by providing a multimedia connection between abstract concepts and practical execution. Students use their laptop or phone to observe, click, drag and type in response to videos, questions and instructions.<\/p>\n

Virtual reactions are instantaneous and students do not have to wait to use shared equipment such as\u00a0PCR machines<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a machine used to heat or cool samples to allow chemical reactions and physical processes to occur at a specified temperature.<\/p>\n

Different kinds of virtual labs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Many virtual labs are now being mostly run through software or online applications developed by developers that are either accessible for free or can be purchased by institutions.
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