Bio-VLab: Virtual Laboratory Based - Pancaran Pendidikan

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Pancaran Pendidikan FKIP

Universitas Jember

Vol. 10, No.1, Page 63-72, February, 2021

Pancaran Pendidikan

DOI:

10.25037/pancaran.v10i1.286

ISSN 0852-601X

e-ISSN 2549-838X

Bio-VLab: Virtual Laboratory Based on Android Educational Game

Putri Sabilla Aulia Najiyah1*, Reza Fauzi Dwisandi1, Muhammad Nizar Maulana1, Diana

Hernawati1

1Siliwangi University, Tasikmalaya, Indonesia

Email: [email protected]*

ARTICLE INFO

Article History:

Received Date: 1th January 2021

Received in Revised Form Date:

10th January 2021

Accepted Date: 15th January 2021

Published online Date 01st

February 2021

ABSTRACT Virtual reality has a lot of potentials to be applied in the field of

education and learning, known as virtual learning. For some

learning activities there is quite a lot of interest in research

about virtual learning. However, at present there is little virtual

learning in the packaging of a virtual laboratory based on an

Android educational game that presents a series of practical

activities as a form of verification or confirmation of concepts

learned by students. For this reason, this research aims to

develop Bio-VLab, a game-based android mobile application,

by adopting some of the ADDIE development procedures

covering the analysis and design stages. Technical analysis was

carried out descriptively qualitatively based on prototypes

generated from the design of the development including initial

appearance, class choices, list of materials, learning objectives,

display of teaching aids, and practical content

.

Key Words:

Virtual; Laboratory; Game

INTRODUCTION

The era of technological disruption is increasingly evolving to facilitate every human

activity in adopting digital devices for learning and education purposes (Zawacki-Richter &

Latchem, 2018). So that the potential for the exploitation of technology such as the use of virtual

concepts has become a trend in delivering computer-generated virtual reality simulations

(Boulton, Kent, & Williams, 2018; Radianti, Majchrzak, Fromm, & Wohlgenannt, 2020) and

cellular devices (Wang et al., 2012). The virtual concept has been described as a 21st century

learning tool or media (Rogers, 2019), so it is commonly known as virtual learning (Jensen &

Konradsen, 2018).

Virtual learning is widely used for several learning activities, such as the use of e-learning

with a variety of different applications and platforms (Carruth, 2017). Concepts offered in

various applications can replace offline learning. However, for practicum-based learning, it is

considered that only a few presents in the concept of virtual laboratories (Podolefsky, 2012;

Chinarro et al., 2017; Ma & Nickerson, 2006). Preliminary analysis results with conditions that

require virtual learning, as many as 65% of biology teachers have never done practicum

Copyright © Putri et al, 2021, this is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Pancaran

Pendidikan Journal license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium,

provided the original work is properly cited

http://www.pancaranpendidikan.or.id/

http://dx.doi.org/10.25037/pancaran.v7i1.129

64 __________________ ©Pancaran Pendidikan, Vol. 10, No. 1, Page 63-72, February, 2021

virtually. While practicum is important as a form of verification or confirmation of concepts

learned by students (Supriatno, 2013). Especially for learning biology that requires active and

constructive processes in which students function as active information builders to build

subjective representations for meaningful learning achievement (Aiello, D’Elia, Di Tore, &

Sibilio, 2012; Barko & Sadler, 2013; Sharma, Agada, & Ruffin, 2013).

A Virtual laboratory is an interactive media that can simulate activities in the laboratory as

if the user were in an actual laboratory (Xu et al., 2014). Virtual laboratories offer the possibility

of simulation experiences, experienced in real laboratories (Tatli & Ayas, 2013). A review of

several studies using virtual laboratory-based learning in science classes shows varied results but

shows a high correlation with student learning satisfaction. In this case the motivation and

attitudes of students become a supporting factor as students attempt to achieve learning

experiences ((Mayer, Warmelink, & Bekebrede, 2013). Other studies show that virtual

laboratory-based learning stores more information and increases students' readiness for

practicum (Krokos, Plaisant, & Varshney, 2019; Other results explain effective in improving

learning outcomes based on knowledge, abilities, and skills (Dalgarno, Bishop, Adlong, &

Bedgood, 2009; Winkelmann, Keeney-Kennicutt, Fowler, & Macik, 2017). Especially when the

packaging presented in the virtual laboratory integrates the assessment in the practical activities.

This assessment will be more attractive to high school students if it is presented in the form of a

game. Games can provide different colors in measuring the achievement of a learning. Even

games can function as valid models for the wider community (Szell & Thurner, 2010). A game-

based virtual laboratory is fun, challenging, provides experience and also entertainment

(Muhamad et al., 2012).

Based on the principle of importance to anticipate distance learning, it is important to

introduce Bio-Vlab in the form of a virtual laboratory based on android mobile applications as

one of the media learning solutions that can be given to secondary school students. So the

purpose of this research is to develop a virtual laboratory based on Android educational games

for practicum activities in secondary schools. It is hoped that this virtual laboratory simulation is

as good as direct practicum so that it can replace traditional laboratory practice experience.

METHODOLOGY

This research used to research and development methods by adopting some of the

development procedures from ADDIE including the analysis and design stages. The ADDIE

concept was simple and provides many instructions in the process of developing a learning

product. The ADDIE development model facilitates or provides a framework for responded to

the complexity of the learning environment by responding to various situations and contexts

(Branch, 2010). The development model used has not yet fully reached the stage of

development, implementation, and evaluation.

The analysis phase was carried out to explore the needs needed including material

characteristics, student characteristics, and other learning support capabilities. The entire

analysis is devoted to biology material in high school, which includes all material contained in

practical activities. A needs analysis was obtained through interviews with teachers and students.

The design phase was an advanced stage for designing virtual laboratories based on

Android educational games. Specifically, this stage included designing the setting of practicum

objectives, practicum procedures/scenarios, practicum material and evaluation/assessment tools.

Putri et al: Bio-VLab: Virtual Laboratory Based ... ________________________ 65

The results of this study were analyzed descriptively qualitatively based on the resulting

prototype.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Bio-VLab is designed as a media in biology learning, which helps in practicum learning.

This Bio-VLab can also be used as supporting media if practical activities are difficult to carry

out. Bio-VLab is created by integrating learning material, practicum, and assessment content

into an interesting and challenging game application for students. The Bio-VLab is made very

easy for users to operate it. Following is the appearance of the design presented by the Bio-Vlab

application on each component.

Figure 1. Initial View Applications Bio-V Lab

Figure 1 is the initial appearance of the Bio-VLab to start the Bio-VLab application. The menu on the start screen has a settings button that will direct users to google and facebook icons

as the user's choice to connect and link accounts. This menu will make it easier for users to save

the history of practical work, so that when the user re-enters the application, the previous

practical history is still stored. Another menu is a column to fill in the name to make it easier for

teachers to recognize the application user account. Then followed by the play button that will

direct the user into the next display.


Figure 2. Class Level Selection Menu

Figure 2 presents a class selection menu which is continued when the user has entered a

name and started the application. The class levels presented are class X, class XI and class XII.

Figure 3. Material Selection Menu

Figure 3 presents the display menu in the form of a list of materials that can be selected

by the user. In the top column there is a percentage display which shows the percentage of

practicum that has been done out of the total of all available practicums, so that users can find

out some practicums that have not been completed, as well as there is a display of total scores

that are accumulated from each practicum that has been done.


Figure 4. Learning Objectives Menu

Figure 4 is a serving menu of learning objectives. This menu will appear when the user

chooses the material and the user can see the learning objectives of the material. The existence

of this learning goal can facilitate students in understanding the learning outcomes to be

achieved. After that the user can click on the 'start' button and a display will appear with the

props and practicum menu. For example, the material chosen is the structure and function of the

digestive system.

The teaching aid contains a torso and an explanation of each material. The existence of

material content aims to facilitate students in finding sources of knowledge/theory about the

selected material. The material is presented in written form accompanied by pictures from

relevant sources so students can learn easily and the theory can be confirmed valid. Description

of the material will appear when we squeeze the part of the target organ, then the feature can be

zoomed in/out, shifted, rotated, so it is clear to learn. The props display menu is shown in Figure

5.

Figure 5. Display Props Menu

Practicum content contains animations and simulations of some tools and materials that

can be used in virtual practicum, the existence of practicum content aims to facilitate students in

carrying out virtual practicum (simulations) according to the demands of learning objectives.


A

b

c

d

Figure 6. Practicum Content Menu

An example, the practicum chosen was the food ingredients test practicum in Figure 6a. In the

food lab test display menu the user can choose several practicums, for example the chosen

practicum is the Benedict Test. The Benedict Test display, as shown in Figure 6b, presents 3

choices: Guide, Play Games, and Back. When choosing a guide on the menu, you will be given

instructions on how to do the practical work (Figure.6c). When the user chooses to play games,

the Practicum display will appear as in Figure 6d. On this menu the user will do a practical

simulation as well as a practicum directly, with a drag and drop system. During the simulation,

the user performs without any special commands from the system.

Some things that are used as an evaluation in this virtual laboratory include the appraisal

of accuracy that is adjusted to the user's work while doing the simulation, if the user is wrong in

performing the procedure then the percentage of accuracy is reduced and affects the score points


to be obtained; the maximum score given is 100 points per practice; and the user's working time

is considered with the ideal time of each practicum, if it exceeds the predetermined time it will

affect the score points that will be obtained.

This design illustrates that the virtual laboratory in the Bio-Vlab package can produce

better learning motivation for students, promote problem solving skills, practice creativity, and

can be used as a useful and productive tool to support students in effective learning while

increasing learning atmosphere (Yang, 2012). he same explanation is also from Mueller Daniel

that there are other advantages of virtual use that is efficiency, anywhere, timeliness and

orientation of learning assignments.

Therefore if the virtual laboratory is used correctly there will be many benefits. To

identify the strengths and weaknesses of virtual laboratories, the development stage of ADDIE

must proceed to the develop, implement and evaluate stages. Further research needs to be done

to determine the effectiveness of virtual laboratories as a substitute for more traditional

laboratory practice experience (Hawkins & Phelps, 2013) and the virtual world can be said to be

effective for teaching experiments (Winkelmann et al., 2017)

CONCLUSION

Bio-Vlab is a virtual laboratory application based on Android educational games that are

used as a supporting media for practicum activities. This Bio-Vlab application is a solution to the

lack of facilities and infrastructure in practicum activities, and can be used as distance learning.

The content contained in this application that contains learning material and practicum of each

basic competency. Also, in this application there is an assessment program so that it gives a

different color in measuring the achievement of a learning. The Bio-Vlab application provides

illustrates that virtual laboratories can produce better learning motivation for students because

the application is designed like Android games that are fun in general, thus creating meaningful

and effective learning for students. Further research needs to be done to determine the

effectiveness of the Virtual Laboratory application based on Android educational games.

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