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Onlabs: 3D Game for Distance
Laboratory Training
Vasilis Zafeiropoulos
Dimitris Kalles
Argyro Sgourou
Achilles Kameas
HELLENIC OPEN UNIVERSITY
School of Science and Technology

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How we learn
(with a pinch of salt …)
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Οn-site laboratory practice
- no plain sailing
• Large number of trainees
• Short time for training
• Lab equipment not really completely available
(sensitive, wear and tear, consumables)
• Risks of accidents (health and maintenance)
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Οn-site laboratory practice
- in a more difficult context
• Natural Sciences Education at HOU
– 4 years: 12 modules x 20 ECTS
• 5 counselling sessions x 4 hours
– 2 on-site lab sessions x 3 subjects
• Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• 1 session = 1 week x 5 days x 8-10 hours
• 2-3 supervisors per 15 students
– 2nd-3rd year of studies
• Expected graduation rate < 20%
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Purposes
• Decongestion of real labs
• Familiarizing oneself with equipment - safely
• Protection of lab equipment from damages
• Accommodating unlimited trial & error testing
…. (hopefully) leading to ….
• (more) Pleasant training process
• (more) Effective learning
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About Onlabs
• Simulation of a real Biology Lab
• Main characteristics:
– 3D
– Realism
– Interaction
• Genre: Modern Adventure Games
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Screenshots (1)
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Screenshots (2)
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Screenshots (3)
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Onlabs simulation demo
Α. Use of Optical Microscope
1. Configuration of the microscope (e.g. adjusting light, iris, lenses)
2. Creation of a test concoction (a slide with a piece of paper and water on it)
3. Microscoping with all objectives lenses
Β. Dilution preparation
1. Use of the electric scale with various powder quantities
2. Use of electric pipette for drawing and pouring precise quantities of fluids
3. Use of magnetic stirrer for fully dissolving and stirring the components of a dilution
4. Titration of the final dilution
...and even more coming up!
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Next steps
• Simulation of more instruments/experiments
– At biology lab
• Simulation at chemistry (and, maybe, physics)
• Simulation at other study modules
• Fully-fledged context-sensitive scoring
– Playing, Learning, Assessing, Examining
– With/without tutor
• Integration with instruction practices
– Editing Wizards
– Tutoring Agents
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The grand goal
• Improve access to laboratory education
by reducing its cost
• Elevate at-a-distance lab education to at
least the same level of learning
effectiveness compared to on-site lab
education
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Visit us at:
https://sites.google.com/site/
onlabseap/
This project has been co-financed by the European
Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national
funds through the Operational Program "Education and
Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference
Framework (NSRF) (Funding Program: “HOU”).