Virtual chemistry laboratory for school education

Virtual labs and simulation is a powerful tool to engage students in active learning. This paper presents virtual chemistry laboratory for school education developed at Multimedia System Laboratory MarSTU. Virtual Lab includes a lot of experiments which are accomplished through the use of the real-time 3D graphics and pre-rendered animation. Interactive laboratory activities are able to enhance student's understanding of chemical processes and practical skills. In order to make human-computer interaction more enjoyable and productive, an animated pedagogical agent was added to the interface of the laboratory. The cost-effective approaches for the development of virtual learning environment are described.