Participation and Learning in Labs Before and During a Pandemic

Experiments form the backbone of much of engineering education, but because it is not always possible to do them in person, simulations can provide a powerful alternative to assist student learning.We present data from two versions of two chemical engineering courses where inperson labs pivoted to virtual simulated experiments.In the first-year introduction to chemical engineering course we designed a simulation for students to design and then test a bench-scale prototype of a remediation column for acid mine drainage.In the junior-level chemical engineering laboratory-students typically carry out a bomb calorimetry experiment of sucrose and then analyze their data.We created a simulation based on a combination of thermodynamic models and previous years' data.We found that opportunities for learning came out of the amount of agency and the consequential decisions each experiment allowed the students to make.Based on student engagement and learning, we propose guidelines for integrating simulations as prelab activities.