Benefits of Activity Based Learning Pedagogy with Online Labs (OLabs)

Online Labs (OLabs) is an innovative learning tool focused on virtual laboratory experiments for secondary school education. The purpose of this present study is to examine student perceptions regarding learning when using simple lowcost activities (Activity Based Learning (ABL)) that teach the same concepts as the corresponding science OLabs experiment. Our sample consisted of 131 students (male=66, female=65) studying in the 8th grade. All students had the same level of exposure to science courses at the school. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was administered to understand students' interest, ease of use and attitude towards OLabs-based ABL. The investigation revealed that a sizable majority of the students, were excited about using OLabs based ABL methodology, in their current curriculum as well as in the future. The gender based analysis showed that female candidates were more interested in using ABL methodology. Our findings contribute to the design of a new pedagogy model for incorporating low-cost science activities with virtual labs to reach students in schools that do not have access to science labs.