Opportunities in Virtual Laboratory Experiments in the Teaching and Learning Process

Abstract

The teaching and learning process in the laboratory is different from theory classes. The students get better knowledge and understanding of the concept when they perform experiments in the laboratory. The hands-on practice will help the students to remember the concept. However, the lack of facilities and limitations in the laboratory infrastructure may affect the student learning process. In India, few technical institutions lack adequate laboratory facilities, and hence, the government of India has started a new initiative called the virtual laboratory to overcome this issue. The Government of India provided funding to the premier institutions in India to establish virtual laboratory facilities to help the institutions which do not have sophisticated laboratory facilities. The advancement in IT and internet facilities helps this initiative. In this chapter, basics of virtual laboratories, different types of virtual laboratories, impact of virtual laboratories in students learning process, opportunities, and limitations of the virtual laboratories were discussed.