Using Virtual Simulations in Online Laboratory Instruction and Active Learning Exercises as a Response to Instructional Challenges during COVID-19

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020 thrust instructors into a world of frenzy, presenting unique challenges to delivering course content. A particular challenge was determining suitable substitutes for wet lab experiments that are often comprised in science labs. Recognizing that this problem was not short-term, I started to look into virtual substitutions to be implemented in the 2020–2021 academic year. Virtual simulations can replace labs, be incorporated as pre-lab assignments, or used as active-learning or experiential learning exercises in a traditional classroom setting while providing low-cost, safe, and acceptable solutions to the current problem. Virtual simulations were examined on different platforms, including Labster, McGraw Hill Connect Virtual Labs, HHMI BioInteractive, Learn.Genetics, Virtual Interactive Bacteriology Laboratory, and Biology Corner. The goal was to provide faculty around the world with a reference list of virtual simulations that are aligned to specific AAAS and ASM student learning outcomes. These simulations are discussed in terms of content, features, and advantages of use. A list of lab exercises aligned to biology courses (microbiology, genetics, and cell biology) is also provided.