OnlineHE_Toolkit

113 The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project Number: 2020-1-RO01-KA226-HE-095434 Best Practice 1: Virtual Labs by MERLOT & SkillsCommons 1. Topic/ Area STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics/ including Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Earth/Environmental studies) Laboratory Classes 2. Title Virtual Labs 3. Type of Best Practice Digital tools Virtual laboratories OERs 4. Date released n/d 5. Partners/ network MERLOT SkillsCommons The complete list of providers can be found here. 6. Level International/EU 7. Description of the methods/ approach and/or theories used Through virtual labs, HEIs can adopt an inquiry-based teaching approach in the online/distance learning programmes, to engage students in learning through active participation rather than passive observation. 8. Purpose/Aim The aim of this “one-stop-shop” platform is to provide all interested parties (mainly HE instructors, staff, and students specialised in STEM) with a collection of free and fee-based virtual labs, simulations, and best practices, to engage with experiments in the respective fields. 9. Target group Higher Education faculty & staff Learning designers/educational technologists Higher Education students