Lifelong Learning Programme

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.
This material reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Also available in:

Webmaster: Pinzani.it

Teaching Resources

Homepage > Teaching Resources > Teaching Resources Form

TEACHING RESOURCES INFORMATION

TITLE OF TEACHING RESOURCE
ChemLab
IMAGE
NAME OF PRODUCER
Model Science
TYPE OF PRODUCT
Downloadable software
LEVEL OF CHEMISTRY KNOWLEDGE
Medium
PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH
Experiential learning
SUBJECT AREA
Fundamental Chemistry
TARGET GROUP LEVEL
Upper Secondary School
LANGUAGE/S OF TEACHING RESOURCES
English, French, Spanish
TUTORIAL SUPPORT
Yes
DESCRIPTION
This didactic tool is a virtual laboratory in which many experiences can be made (titrations, gravimetric analysis of chloride, gas compression, crude oil distillation, determination of specific heat lab, fractional crystallization and a generic laboratory are available on the demo version). The demo version is available for sale.
The prerequisites vary according to the experiences to be made: there can be none for the discovery of the laboratory material or they can be more advanced regarding fractional crystallization or the gravimetric analysis of chloride.

The content that can be used in secondary schools is little in the demo, but seems more important in the complete version.

This product is destined to teachers and pupils who do not have the necessary material in the laboratory and to disabled students who are unable to make life-size experiments.

This software can also be used by the student alone to discover some concepts, but it is essential that it be checked afterwards by a teacher to formalise the learning.

The aim of the software is to provide an alternative to real experiments made in the classroom while maintaining the necessary scientific rigour to make them.
------------------
L'outil didactique est un laboratoire virtuel dans lequel beaucoup d'expériences sont réalisables (titrages, analyse gravimétrique des chlorures, compression de gaz, distillation du pétrole brut, laboratoire de chaleur massique, laboratoire de cristallisation fractionnée et laboratoire générique sont présents sur la version de démonstration). La version complète est disponible à l'achat.
Au niveau des prérequis, ils sont variables en fonction des expériences à réaliser : ils peuvent être nuls pour la découverte du matériel de laboratoire ou plus avancés en ce qui concerne la cristallisation fractionnée ou l'analyse gravimétrique.

Le contenu utilisable dans le secondaire est faible dans la version de démonstration, mais semble plus conséquent dans la version complète.

Ce produit s'adresse aux professeurs et élèves qui ne disposent pas du matériel nécessaire au laboratoire ainsi qu'aux élèves à mobilité réduite qui ne peuvent pas réaliser les manipulations grandeur nature.

Ce logiciel peut également être utilisé par l'élève seul pour découvrir certains concepts mais il est essentiel qu'un professeur repasse par après pour formaliser les apprentissages.

Le but de ce logiciel est de fournir une alternative aux manipulations réelles effectuées en classe tout en gardant la rigueur scientifique nécessaire pour les réaliser.
COMMENTS
The strong points of the software are its accessibility, the alternative it offers regarding real experiments while maintaining the necessary scientific rigour.

The weak point is its price (around $135 for the licence).

The pedagogic contribution is important for the students who cannot make experiments, for whatever reason, and for the teacher who has not got a laboratory or the required material at their disposal to make an experiment.

The scientific aspect of every experience is respected as well as the execution sequence of the operations.
-----------------------
Les points forts de ce logiciel sont son accessibilité, l'alternative qu'il propose par rapport aux manipulations réelles tout en gardant la rigueur scientifique nécessaire.

Le point faible de ce logiciel est son prix (compter environ 135$ la licence).

L'apport pédagogique est important pour des élèves ne pouvant pas manipuler pour des raisons diverses. Il l'est aussi lorsqu'un professeur ne dispose pas du laboratoire ou du matériel nécessaire pour réaliser la manipulation souhaitée.

L'aspect scientifique de chaque expérience est respecté et l'ordre d'exécution des manipulations l'est tout autant.
NAME OF THE REVIEWING ORGANISATION
Haute École Léonard De Vinci, ENCBW –LLN
INFOREF (BE)

Comments about this Publication

Your comments are welcome


Date: 2014.11.30

Posted by Mariusz Jarocki (Poland)

Message: 1. Is the teaching resource described useful for you? Why?
(based on demo version) The program simulates some chemical experiences like titrations or determination of specific heat lab in interesting graphical form. The content that can be used in secondary schools as rather some kind of support. I don\'t think it can really replace true, non-simulated experiments.

2. Do you think it can increase the students’ interest toward chemistry? Why?
Yes, it can because of possibility of making experiments without any special prerequisites. Every executed experiment, simulated or not simulated, can increase the student\'s interest. This software can also be used by the student alone to discover some concepts so it affects to develop scientific approach to learning.

3. Do you think it can help the students to understand better and faster? Why?
There any several advantages of simulated experiments in relation to real ones. I think about possibilities of repetitions, no risk of failures because of lack of manual skills etc. Better - yes, faster - maybe. Certainly cheaper (but the software is rather expensive) and safer.

4. Do you think it propose an innovative didactic approach? Why?
It is hard to treat the tool as the main one in didactic process, it\'s rather some kind of support. I suppose we can tell about some innovation only in the context of greater methodology which uses the tool as one of many others.

Date: 2013.01.04

Posted by Sabine Jacquemin (Sartay) (Belgium)

Message: There is a downloadable demo but the complete version is charged.

On the demo version, there is a laboratory on acid-base titration.
* A theoretical introduction to acids, bases and titration can be used if the teacher has not addressed it yet in class, or as a reminder.
* The procedure to follow for this laboratory simulation is described in several steps; the containers must be selected and filled with a given volume of solution or indicator,… , the pH must be displayed, a window opened to type the data and initiate the chart of the titration.
I think it takes some fumbling before using this resource in class, which in my opinion makes it difficult for a student to use it on their own at home, at least without having seen it done (with some words of explanation) by the teacher. It is unfortunate because it could be interesting, for instance, for a student who was absent during the lab session carried out at school.
* There is also a printable page to note the observations and results obtained, as well as the answers to the possible questions.
* It is unfortunate too that the only solutions available for titration are NaOH and HCl, with only one possible concentration.

This resource can really be useful if the teacher does not have a laboratory at their disposal at school; the students can see, step by step, how a titration is carried out and have a more concrete image of it. This software can help them better understand what titration is and make them want to try by themselves.
Indeed, this kind of software cannot replace a real laboratory in which students really handle things and are confronted with various circumstances that are avoided in a virtual laboratory (security, filling a burette with precision …).

Date: 2012.12.04

Posted by Silvino Rodrigues (Portugal)

Message: This resource is very useful; it enables the execution of virtual experiments, liberating the teacher from possible constraints in what concerns the existence of the needed resources as well as the needed time to perform the experiment. Facing the actual economical restrictions, these resources can be helpful saving reagents and laboratorial materials.
This software potentially increases student’s interest towards chemistry, since they usually enjoy ICT-based resources. Students have then the possibility to perform several virtual experiments safely.
This resource can improve student’s learning; it is quite intuitive and easy to use, allowing several experimental activities, where students have to assemble the laboratory material, choose reagents, weighting, heating and measuring in an interactive fashion.
I think this resource does not constitute an innovative didactic approach. It enables substitution of the laboratorial activities by virtual ones. Nevertheless, laboratorial practice is, in my opinion, essential. In that way, these resources must be, primordially, seen as a complement to the laboratorial activities.

National Reports on successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry The national reports on chemistry successful experiences to promote lifelong learning for chemistry are now available on the related section of the project portal. The reports presents examples of successful experiences in the partner countries and the results of testing of ICT resources with science teachers.

.