Virtual Laboratory Simulations in Biotechnology: A Systematic Review

In biotechnology education practical laboratory courses are vital. In having these practical courses, a lot of time and monetary resources are needed, it also requires the presence of the teacher and students and all the necessary equipment, which is currently not allowed in the Philippines due to the pandemic restrictions. Biotech virtual labs are useful in this time but what are the different research studies that has been done regarding this tool and what elements are important in terms of instructional design and technology? In this review, different types of technology and instructional design were examined, and overview of the previous research were highlighted in this paper. The study revealed that virtual laboratory simulations can be equally effective or better than hands on activity and said to be more effective compared to traditional teaching method. It was also found out that when the traditional teaching methods and virtual simulation labs yields better results in terms of performance. The included studies in this review utilized 2D, 3D, and VR technologies in having the virtual lab for the past few years. The review paper also identified different designs for instructions such as scaffolding and IBL (inquiry-based learnings). Biotech Virtual labs can be used as an effective alternative or complementary tool to an actual or physical conduct of laboratory experiment.