Engaging students’ experiences of practical activities with simulation lab during the COVID-19 pandemic: A sample with direct current circuits

Simulations are increasingly implemented as one of the teaching techniques in the Thailand educational system at all levels. It is a convenient way to support in-lab learning especially in the COVID-19 pandemic (Darrah et al., 2014). Physics lab helps students to understand the basic concepts and to relate the real phenomena to the experimental visualizations (Baltzis & Koukias, 2009). The purposes of the research we are presenting, aimed to implement the simulation for fundamental physics online lab during the COVID-19 pandemic and to enhance students’ understanding in direct current circuits (Olypiou & Zacharia, 2011). The sample of this research consisted of 128 freshmen in the Faculty of Science and Technology who enrolled in fundamental physics courses in the Academic Year 2021. The research was carried out during the 1st semester to 2nd semester of 2021. The student participants conducted the direct current circuit via an online simulation laboratory. Students’ understandings about direct current circuits were analyzed with a laboratory report and laboratory quiz (Kollöffel & Jong, 2013). The students had the average score 8.20/10.00 and most of the students (82.03%) can use the simulation to design and create a direct current circuit. A result of analyzed data clearly shows that the online simulation lab has a positive effect on students’ understanding in direct current circuits in terms of students’ lab skills, engaging in classroom activities, and motivation (Perkins et al., 2006). Simulation Lab serves as a suitable tool for direct current circuits in fundamental physics laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic (Manunure, Delserieys, & Castéra, 2019). REFERENCES Baltzis, K.B., & Koukias, K.D. (2009). Using Laboratory Experiments and Circuit Simulation IT Tools in an Undergraduate Course in Analog Electronics. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 18(6), 546-555. Darrah, M., Humbert, R., Finstein, J., Simon, M., & Hopkins, J. (2014). Are Virtual Labs as Effective as Hands-on Labs for Undergraduate Physics? A Comparative Study at Two Major Universities. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 23(6), 803-814. Kollöffel, B., & Jong, T. (2013). Conceptual Understanding of Electrical Circuits in Secondary Vocational Engineering Education: Combining Traditional Instruction with Inquiry Learning in a Virtual Lab. Journal of Engineering Education, 102(3), 375–393. Manunure, K., Delserieys, A., & Castéra, J. (2019). The effects of combining simulations and laboratory experiments on Zimbabwaen students’ conceptual understanding of electric circuits. Research in science & Technological Education, 38(3), 289-307. Olypiou, G., & Zacharia, Z.C. (2011). Blending physical and virtual manipulatives: An effort to improve students’ conceptual understanding through science laboratory experimentation. Science Education, 96(1), 21-47. Perkins, K.K., Adams, W., Dubson, M., Finkelstein, N., Reid, S., Wieman, C.E. & LeMaster, R. (2006). PhET: Interactive Simulations for Teaching and Learning Physics. The Physics Teacher, 44(1), 18-23