The effects of combining virtual laboratory and advanced technology research laboratory on university students’ conceptual understanding of electron microscopy

Abstract

Development and evaluation of a teaching-learning activity in 4th year Forensic Physics course of Degree in Criminology was based on different combinations of a virtual laboratory and a research laboratory as teaching spaces. Students explored in detail the components and functioning of an electron microscope using both an online suite of education tools and an advanced scanning electron microscope (SEM). The aim of this study was to analyse the impact of all combinations of both activities on students’ learning process, and to examine the effect on their interest towards the subject. A blend of research and virtual laboratories have a higher significant impact on students’ achievements rather than each one separately, but the same is not true for student interest in scientific careers. These results confirm that the use of a research laboratory combined with a virtual one can have substantial benefits in improvement students’ knowledge about abstract and complex concepts