Abstract:

The worldwide COVID-19 situation forced a switch towards working online more than before. The educational system was not spared and people involved in the teaching process were required, sometimes on short notice, to come up with alternative ways of carrying out their duties. While some activities are better suited to be conducted online, this is not the case of practical work. In this particular situations, traditional teaching methods have to be supplemented or even replaced with something adequate.

For first year students of the ”Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University, which are all required to take up a course in physics, we have created a series of simulations meant to assist them with the practical side of physics. The simulations were developed in LabVIEW, which is a decent platform even if it was not developed to be used for simulating purposes. Each simulation is intended to be run as an actual experiment and was built to accurately replicate the real-life apparatus available in the laboratory. For this reason, in addition to the required modelling of the physical phenomena, the virtual experiment also recreates the look and way of operation of controls and gauges.

While simulations have existed for some time and many are available for free in the online medium, the elements of realism we have added to our virtual laboratory are intended to help our students familiarize themselves with the workings of the experimental setup prior to entering the physical laboratory. Over the long term, this is intended to be used in preparation for the actual assignment. In the near future, the virtual laboratory will offer students at home the chance to actively take part in classes that are held in a mixed online – on-site system and may even serve as a backup solution when the safety measures dictate that activities should be held entirely online.

Keywords:

Computer simulations, Covid-19 pandemic, computer assisted instruction, teaching methods.