Alternatives to Laboratory Practicals – Do They Meet the Needs?

Various pressures have resulted in the replacement of 'wet' practical classes with classes involving simulations in some science courses. Assessed practical write-ups from pharmacology students using a simulation (78-4%; m-s.e.mean; n =46) showed a mark significantly better (p ≪0.001; Student's t-test) than those doing the 'wet' practical (56-5%; n =42). This is partly due to it being easier to write up an experiment with consistent and complete data that is obtained from a simulation than it is to write up a 'wet' experiment where data is not always complete and reproducible. Questions that tested understanding of theoretical principles illustrated in the exercise were answered equally well (68-6% for the 'wet' practical group and 71-6% for the simulation group; p >0.6). However, 4 months later, the two groups performed very differently in multiple choice questions related to the material involved in the experiment (practical group 66-4%; simulation group 47-5%; p ≪0.01). Students doing the simulation did particularly badly in questions relating to the practical details of the exercise while in questions involving theoretical principles relating to the exercise the two groups did equally well. It is concluded that simulations can provide an aid to learning which is as effective as 'wet' practicals, provided that this does not include learning of the practical details of the methods used.