Launch of VHEalthLab Program: Advancing Virtual Biology Labs in Higher Education
The inaugural meeting of the “Virtual Health Lab in Higher Education – VHEalthLab” program took place on February 1-2. Representatives from organizations and educational institutions from Cyprus, Greece, Spain, and Romania attended the meeting.
During the opening session, Dr. Stella Nicolaou, the program’s coordinator from the University of Nicosia and Associate Professor of Immunology at the School of Life and Health Sciences, highlighted the need to create open-access laboratories that can be used in Health Sciences as a way to supplement or support in-person laboratory work.
In the subsequent meetings, detailed discussions were held about the design of the labs by Aristotle University, the creation of pedagogical guidelines, and the promotion of virtual labs by the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth. They also discussed the integration of the material into the educational platform by Ascendia SA. Particular emphasis was placed on the open access of the material and its accessibility to people with learning difficulties.
About the program
The “VHEalthLab” program officially launched in December 2023. It is funded for two years by the European Union (Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education). The University of Nicosia is the scientific coordinator of the program, and the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth from Cyprus is also participating.
The main objective is the creation of virtual biology laboratories (Virtual Labs – VL). Laboratory experiments are a vital educational tool that helps students develop 21st-century skills such as complex problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. The closure of schools during the pandemic brought numerous challenges in teaching STEM laboratory courses in both Higher and Secondary Education. Until recently, in-person labs were the norm, but the use of VL is gaining ground in STEM fields and across all educational levels.
Most available high-quality VLs are either not freely accessible or are not suitable for the curricula being implemented. During the pandemic, the education sector faced the challenge of how students could complete their laboratory work and acquire the aforementioned skills and competencies without needing to be physically present.
For more information about the program, you can contact the Program Coordinator at the University of Nicosia at [email protected] or by phone at 22841783.
