This virtual lab will revolutionize science class

In this research article published in Nature Biotechnology, the learning and motivation impact of laboratory simulations is investigated and shows very promising potential for these innovative teaching methods.

A study on simulation based learning environments for medical education, showing increased motivation and learning. Interestingly, the students who initially had the most difficulty improved the most in both learning and self-efficacy (students confidence in their abilities), which indicates that using gamification and simulations can also help schools with a high number of underprivileged students.

A thorough review of a selection of literature that investigate the value of physical and virtual labs. The overall conclusion is that virtual labs can strengthen science learning, especially in combination with physical labs.

This story has inspired a lot of my work and passion for our ambitious vision to empower science students worldwide by providing them with equal access to high quality science education.
Imagine thousands of students around the world, just like Jack Andraka, being inspired to solve important global challenges by using games to improve critical science skills and to spark their curiosity at the same time.

Games like World of Warcraft give millions of players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes. In this great talk, Jane McGonigal, shows how we can harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems.

This is an interesting scientific article showing how playing my favourite video games (Starcraft) can lead to increased cognitive flexibility and ability to process complex information.