Yoon Yee Then¹, Lai Chun Wong¹, May Lee Low²

¹Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, International Medical University, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

²Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UCSI University Kuala Lumpur Campus, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Introduction

Addressing safety in chemistry laboratories is of paramount importance due to the occurrence of severe accidents worldwide, often resulting from inadequate training and improper conduct. A significant contributing factor may be the perception that safety topics are dull and uninteresting for students. A potential remedy to this issue is to actively involve students in the learning process by adopting a game-based approach to safety education. In this study, we explored the virtual lab simulations (VLS), an effective learning intervention that has a measurable impact on learning outcomes to teach first-year Pharmaceutical Chemistry students essential safety knowledge. Our findings showed that VLS effectively increased safety awareness, knowledge retention, and reduced risks, potentially revolutionizing safety education by providing a dynamic, risk-free platform for students to practice safety procedures, identify hazards, and respond to emergencies.

Aim

This project explores the potential of VLS as an innovative pedagogical approach with the capacity to transform safety education by offering students a dynamic, immersive, and risk-free platform for practicing safety procedures, identifying hazards, and responding to emergency situations. In this project, Labster's pioneering VLS approach is used as the primary tool for imparting critical safety knowledge. After the completion of the activity, students’ feedback was collected to determine the impact on their learning.

Inventiveness