The COVID-19 pandemic radically and without warning changed the laboratory learning environment for students and instructors. Students were faced with having to be receptive to new learning methods; instructors scrambled to devise innovative ways of providing a realistic lab experience for students. The demand for creative online teaching strategies and the expansion of gamified training platforms created an opportunity for the development of new and interactive lab experiences. Current online labs offer some elements of a "real" lab experience, but a system that incorporates all the tools needed to create a realistic, immersive lab environment has yet to be developed. This study examines using different gamification elements implemented in a PowerPoint-based platform. There was no cost associated with the virtual lab and it could be easily downloaded, increasing accessibility. In true gaming style, a student could "play" without restriction, without the limitations that accompany wet labs. Students were challenged with various scenarios throughout the lab, making choices and receiving feedback through the process. These features positively impacted student outcomes and improved engagement, as expressed in end-of-course evaluations. The implementation also stressed the need for further development of embedded assessments, competitive and interactive opportunities for students, and access to detailed learning analytics for instructors.

中文翻译：

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游戏化，交互式，低成本，灵活的虚拟微生物实验室的发展，可促进大流行教学中的高阶思维。

COVID-19大流行且毫无预警地改变了学生和讲师的实验室学习环境。学生不得不接受新的学习方法。讲师们争先恐后地想出创新的方法，为学生提供现实的实验室体验。对创新在线教学策略的需求以及游戏化培训平台的扩展为开发新的交互式实验室体验创造了机会。当前的在线实验室提供了“真实”实验室体验的某些元素，但是尚未开发出一个包含创建逼真的沉浸式实验室环境所需的所有工具的系统。本研究研究了在基于PowerPoint的平台中使用的不同游戏化元素。虚拟实验室没有任何成本，可以轻松下载，从而增加了可访问性。在真正的游戏风格中，学生可以不受限制地“玩”，而不受湿实验室的限制。在整个实验室中，学生面临各种场景的挑战，他们在整个过程中做出选择并获得反馈。如课程结束时的评估所示，这些功能对学生的学习成绩产生了积极的影响，并提高了他们的参与度。该实施还强调了进一步开发嵌入式评估，为学生提供竞争和互动机会以及为教师提供详细学习分析的必要性。在整个实验室中，学生面临各种场景的挑战，他们在整个过程中做出选择并获得反馈。如课程结束时的评估所示，这些功能对学生的学习成绩产生了积极的影响，并提高了他们的参与度。该实施还强调了进一步开发嵌入式评估，为学生提供竞争和互动机会以及为教师提供详细学习分析的必要性。在整个实验室中，学生面临各种场景的挑战，他们在整个过程中做出选择并获得反馈。如课程结束时的评估所示，这些功能对学生的学习成绩产生了积极的影响，并提高了他们的参与度。该实施还强调了进一步开发嵌入式评估，为学生提供竞争和互动机会以及为教师提供详细学习分析的必要性。