Virtual and Hands-on Laboratory Environments in the Chemistry Classroom: The Effect of Prior Chemistry Knowledge

Key Points

• Investigate how prior chemistry knowledge influences the effectiveness of virtual and hands-on laboratory environments.
• Counterbalanced design used over four weeks.
• Involved 70 first-year undergraduate students.
• Comparison of learning outcomes between virtual and hands-on labs.
• Virtual labs enhanced engagement and understanding for students with prior knowledge.
• Hands-on labs were more beneficial for students with less chemistry background.
• Overall improvement in laboratory skills across both environments.