For some students, virtual labs replace hands-on science experiments

Cal State L.A. biology students are breeding fruit flies to learn how mutations, such as white eyes or curved wings, are passed to future generations. On other campuses, subjects on treadmills are monitored for changes in blood pressure and heart rate.

These are fairly common lab experiments, except for one thing: They are being conducted via computer.

At colleges and universities across the country, students increasingly are using online simulations, animation and other technologies to replicate and, some say, improve upon the hands-on experience of a typical lab.

Spurred by the popularity and potential cost-savings of online learning, virtual labs have infiltrated nearly every scientific field, to the chagrin of some who insist that the practical skills learned through conventional lab work are needed to conduct more advanced research.

Proponents say they're not suggesting that the sensory experiences of a traditional lab should be abandoned, but virtual labs can be a valuable tool to impart basic scientific concepts while allowing campuses to reduce staff and equipment costs.

The California State University system, the largest in the nation, is planning to dramatically expand the use of virtual labs for general education science courses, which are typically populated by non-science majors who are required to take a course with lab work to graduate.

Last spring, a pilot project at Cal State L.A. compared the success of students participating in traditional labs with those using an all-online format and a "flipped" lab model, where online students met in the classroom every two weeks.

Students in the flipped model maintained their interest and got better grades, the study found. Perhaps equally important, the virtual labs were able to accommodate more students and proved less expensive to operate.

A typical introductory biology course might include eight lab classes with 192 students, said Robert Desharnais, a biology professor at the campus who directs Cal State's Virtual Courseware Project. Virtual labs have allowed the university to double the number of sessions offered while using the same number of instructors and rooms, Desharnais said.

Helping students enroll in required classes sooner in their academic careers and move on to graduation is a key objective for California's public colleges, which lost billions in state funding during the recession. Gov. Jerry Brown and state lawmakers have called on educators to make up for those losses in part through greater use of new technologies.

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For some students, virtual labs replace hands-on science experiments