Written evidence submitted by Labster (GAP0064)

1. EMPOWERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS

1.1 About Labster

Labster is the leading company within innovative science education

Labster is empowering the next generation of scientists to change the world through high-quality laboratory simulations allowing students to learn science theory as well as practicing lab skills. Our simulations are based on extensive R&D, real-world scenarios, and used at highly acknowledged partner institutions. User feedback, from both students and teachers, are key in the product development and all content is designed to ensure specific learning goals and curriculum. As a result, Labster has succeeded in creating a unique educational tool, that is academically proven to increase learning effectiveness and student motivation.

1.2 Labster’s Vision

Labster’s vision is to empower the next-generation of scientists to change the world.

More specifically Labster is doing so by using technology to democratise access to the highest quality of education and provide it at scale globally. Labster has been featured on TED.com (“This virtual lab will revolutionize science class”), and been the focus of several publications in high-impact journals including Nature Biotechnology showing that Labster simulations improve learning outcomes, motivation and engagement significantly (see also Makransky et al, 2016).

1.3 Labster as provider of STEM education materials

Labster is capable of the full production in-house

Labster’s team of scientists, educators, platform developers, science writers, and 3D artists have created

over 50 simulations, including VR labs for Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, and Google Daydream and our roadmap includes over 250 simulations across all major STEM disciplines. Our simulations allow students to apply theoretical knowledge and practice their lab skills in high-tech, low-cost virtual laboratories.  These in-house skills have led us to produce award winning content (European Union Technology Enhanced Learning Award 2015), platform (Danish Design Award for Better Learning 2016) and innovative and empowering learning (QS Stars Reimagining Education winner 2016).
 

1.4 Research, Development and Innovation

Research projects with leading universities enable continuous innovation

Labster is engaged in state-of-the-art research on the use of VR in education together with a consortium of experts (including researchers at UC Berkeley, MIT, Stanford, and Copenhagen University). Thus, Labster is currently leading several grant-funded multi-million-dollar projects with these partners, aimed at understanding how to leverage technology to create unique and scientifically supported better learning experiences for students.

Labster is also currently collaborating with UK universities so that the development, use, testing and application of VR in education is based on the knowledge and expertise held by academic and education resources held by partners such as University of Exeter, University of Lincoln and University of Huddersfield. Higher Education institutions such as Imperial College, University of Birmingham, Aston University, Coventry University, Wolverhampton University and University of Manchester now number and Labster is increasingly partnering up with these in local, regional and national economic development and innovation programmes through projects linked to Innovate UK, European Regional Development Fund and Local Enterprise Partnerships. This shows the stakeholder appeal to link virtual laboratory simulations to STEM education and skills and how this translates into greater societal and economic impact.

1.5 Labster’s virtual simulations             

2. STEM SKILLS IN EDUCATION

2.1 The science education today vs. science education in the future

Today’s science education is still based on 100 year-old principles. Traditionally science is taught through a combination of textbooks, lectures, laboratory exercises and group exercises, however, this method has been documented in numerous studies to be inferior to active learning methods[1], [2]. Despite this, most schools and universities continue to use the old model with only small iterative improvements.

2.1.1  Motivation and immersion is key to learning and retention

Educators and learning scientists are now focusing on the importance of designing motivating, engaging and immersive learning experiences. Research shows that this is done best by creating the subjective impression of a comprehensive, realistic experience[3]. Since its beginning, Labster has worked with leading researchers and learning scientists to create such experiences. This has pushed the boundaries for what is possible and our simulations have continuously been refined to improve learning outcomes[4].

2.2 Documented learning impact of Labster’s simulations

Labster’s effect on learning effectiveness and motivation levels has been assessed in a published article for Nature Biotechnology[5]. In this article, and through the conducted research, it was documented that Labster simulations positively affect the teaching outcome[6] [7]. More specifically, it was shown that the use of Labster can enhance the learning impact by 76% when replacing traditional teaching as an online stand-alone and 101% when combined with traditional teaching.

FIGURE: Increase in learning outcomes observed after students attended a session with a lecture including
group exercise (Lecture), laboratory simulation (Labster) and both methods combined (Bonde et al., 2014).

2.3               Reducing the STEM skills gap through digitalisation and virtual learning environments

2.3.1              Evidenced based work

Labster is actively engaging in research and evidence based programmes with universities such as University of Copenhagen, University of Southern Denmark, MIT, Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Glasgow University. University of Exeter has been an early UK collaborator for Labster since December 2014 with ground-breaking work on the effective use of virtual laboratory simulations. Labster is consistently co-authoring and collaborating on articles relating to the use of virtual laboratory simulations. Here are links to three of the key articles published since July 2014:

Nature Biotechnology, “Improving biotech education through gamified laboratory simulations, July 2014:

http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v32/n7/full/nbt.2955.html

BMC Medical Education, “Simulation based virtual learning environment in medical genetics counselling: an example of bridging the gap between theory and practice in medical education”, March 2016:

https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-016-0620-6

PLOS One, “Virtual Simulations as Preparation for Lab Exercises: Assessing Learning of Key Laboratory Skills in Microbiology and Improvement of Essential Non-Cognitive Skills, June 2016:

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155895

Labster’s products have thus far led to significantly increased learning outcomes by combining cutting-edge technologies, including gamified 3D laboratory simulations, adaptive learning algorithms, emotion recognition, and virtual reality with theories from cognitive, developmental, and career psychology. Labster has created a scalable product that develops and retains interest in STEM studies and careers, enhances motivation and learning outcomes for young people in secondary schools and universities, as well as increasing the likelihood of their choosing science courses and life-long careers within this field.

2.3.2              Equality of access to STEM education and skills

The NMC Horizon Report 2016 (The NEW MEDIA CONSORTIUM and The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative) is the result of convening a panel made up of 58 education and technology experts from 16 countries and 5 continents. The panel’s report is a result of more than 14 years of research into how learning, research and development spaces have changed and will continue to transform in the next 5 years. The experts include prominent names from American universities that have been both researching and following the development of technology and its application from Higher Education to broader application in Research and Development processes and Industry.

Selected key trends argued for by expert panel:

●        ‘Redesigning Learning and Development Spaces’: Universities are increasingly leading in adopting innovative learning spaces and emerging technologies and will continue to do so as they become key partners with industry stakeholders and rethinking and developing new forms of innovation processes that redefine the way that physical and digital spaces are used to create the new digital economy and industry leaders of tomorrow.

●        ‘Shift to Deeper Learning and Development Approaches’: A growing emphasis is seen on strengthening critical thinking, problem-solving and self-directed learning. Connections between curriculum and real-world are increasingly important (relates to gamification elements of Labster’s labs).

●        ‘Increasing use of Blended Learning Designs’: Online learning seen as supplement to face-to-face learning. Learning analytics, adaptive learning will continue to play a bigger role in education.

Virtual reality was one of the identified key technologies that will be part of changing the way that national economies will adopt learning and development from Higher Education through the face of industry application:

“VR enables users to step into an immersive, computer-simulated alternate world where sensory experiences can occur”

“these technologies are poised to impact learning by transporting students to any imaginable location across the known universe and transforming the delivery of knowledge”

The implication on the need to reduce the STEM skills gap is that digitalisation will hold a significant role in breaking with past traditions in how science, technology, engineering and maths have captured and retained children, young people and adults from education through to employment. Virtual Reality is a good example representing this evolution in technology as a change agent with the potential to contribute significantly to reducing the STEM skills gap. Whilst Virtual Reality will not be replacing physical innovation and R&D spaces, it will open for the blending of physical and digital spaces so that it is no longer a necessity to invest and/or visit a physical location where you undertake the research, development, prototyping and production. It is now possible to customise and bring STEM education and STEM jobs closer to learners’ and employees’ real life experiences and expectations of problem solving as part of “changing the world”. 

Virtual learning environments creates new opportunities for pupil-, student- and employee orientated interaction and competency development linked to STEM skills. Labster’s research and evaluation with user groups follows other published studies depicting simulation based technology as more effective than traditional science education. The results are increased motivation, engagement and immersion of students in maintaining their studies and ability to improve contribution and impact linked to STEM research, development and innovation activities. Virtual laboratory simulations also increase the ability to learn from failures – making this a key asset instead of a liability in the aspect of STEM skills and how problem based learning can be converted into tangible benefits for lower costs and maximum learning effectiveness. Traditional science and laboratory education methods consider failures as expensive and preferably avoidable – hence producing counterproductive pressures of performance and zero mistake culture when acquiring STEM skills.

2.3.3 Reducing STEM disengagement

One beneficiary of virtual laboratory simulations could well be rural communities as the virtual learning environments bring benefits of access to low cost, high technology as well as diverse and immersive content. Virtual laboratory simulations will open high technology laboratories for anybody placed in any location to experience, take part in or lead Innovation, R&D and production processes that until now only have been possible to undertake near or at expensive physical units or at Higher Education facilities. All this work can now be digitalised and undertaken at anywhere at any time. This also reduces the barrier of access to high quality STEM education and skills development for other groups in society such as low income communities, girls and young women. Virtual learning environments enhance the ability to engage and capture sections of students and communities that otherwise would not be interested to further their interest and passion in scientific issues affecting the world around them.

Cornwall College Group is a close current collaborator in bringing Labster’s virtual laboratory simulations and Virtual Reality to known communities that are profiled as “disengaged STEM communities” – incorporating both primary and secondary school pupils to interest them in science education and the transformational change that it can bring to society.

2.4              The STEM Challenge in education

2.4.1  Retaining pupils and students in STEM subjects and qualifications

A number of the universities that Labster is working with echo the ambition of both recruitment and retainment of students in STEM related studies through to subsequent employment and professional development. Labster collaborates by the end of 2016 with universities based in all UK regions:

Labster’s collaboration with universities extend across different STEM courses and qualifications with more being added almost weekly. Here is the current profile of STEM courses using Labster’s virtual laboratory simulations:

Labster collaborates very closely with universities to meet needs assessment and how virtual laboratory simulations best can be applied to the future of learning and skills development. This work is increasingly taking place involving Further Education institutions and schools to enable virtual laboratory simulations to become a toolbox of education materials that can be used from early science education through to employment. Labster has in this on-going partnership work noted following key results that universities are looking to solve using virtual laboratory simulations – very often connected to their industry engagement and early years’ engagement linked to STEM. The below points represent responses received from a cross section of all our collaborating UK universities:

• Looking for innovative and novel approaches that will position STEM studies and optimise knowledge transfer with schools and industry partners
• There is limited space on campus for real science practicals, so teaching staff often spend valuable time doing re-runs rather than new/different practical sessions.
• Teaching wish to capture the attention of the 15-20% of students who do not read the ‘lab schedules’ prior to arriving to undertake the laboratory work (which is a requirement that they must do), “Lab schedules are A4 printed documents often extending to several pages and they are generally written in a ‘dull’ fashion – they are guiding instructions rather than active teaching documents.”
• There is an aim to quantify student engagement and hope to see an increase in this.

• Incorporate the virtual labs as part of the digital strategy 2020 with the objective to implement new innovative technologies to better learning to make staff and student time more efficient without compromising on quality contact time.
• Lack of range of STEM labs due to size requirements
• Looking at expanding the distance learning offering
• Enhancing Skill Gaps specifically linked to Industry that wish to employ graduates
• Add value to the student experience, help encourage students not as motivated or engaged, offer more to students who are well engaged already, and thereby, help increase results that improves the uptake of graduates from industry.
• Time - Would like to cut down 3 hour lab practicals to 2 hours by removing the 1st hour of explanation. They have to re-run practicals 3 times to get through them with the cohort sizes they have, so can only offer a limited number of practicals per course.
• Student Retention.
• Making content available to student 24/7.
• Even though large investments are made to expand Life Sciences facilities and studies, universities recognise they need to focus on student experience to attract new students.
• Removing Anxiety for Student’s in Real Lab Practicals - students often feel a lot of stress in real practicals to get to the right answer quickly, and so do not retain crucial knowledge of the steps involved.
• Use the virtual laboratory simulation to increase the interest and students’ engagement with the physical experiments
• Provide access to techniques not usually covered in modules

3. STEM SKILLS IN INDUSTRY

3.1 The 8 great technologies

Smart Specialisation in England identifies the ‘Eight Great Technologies’ (EGT) where the UK has a genuine comparative advantage and potential for commercial exploitation across a global market.  Virtual laboratory simulations and Virtual Reality technology can cut across several of the EGT including:

●        Big data and energy efficient computing

●        Space - satellite and commercial applications

●        Robotics and autonomous systems

●        Synthetic Biology

●        Regenerative medicine

●        Agri-science

●        Advanced materials and nano-technology

●        Energy technologies (including: energy storage, reduced cost renewables, energy efficiency, bioenergy, transport, next generation nuclear and carbon capture and storage)

3.2 Smart Specialisation and SMEs

The use of virtual laboratory simulations will bridge the gap between innovation as well as job creation and retention in the Digital Economy and Smart Specialisation areas. SMEs are currently either reluctant or unable to invest in high technology solutions in their innovation and R&D processes. Labster’s virtual labs will enable SMEs to bridge that cost and investment barrier and access the latest technology in Virtual Reality and Virtual Laboratory Simulations. This will give enterprises the ability to act on ideas from within the company and ideas resulting from collaboration with FE and HE providers in the local or distant regions – all dependent on the specific need and knowledge transfer match.

Local students and graduates will also can work and realise the innovative ideas and research that they complete in the region and transfer this into start-up companies and/or other forms of employment in Smart Specialisation enterprises in the region where they have studied. This will give young people an incentive to stay in the region as a realistic opportunity to a migration to cities post-graduation. This option will add further strength to enterprises relocating to the local and regional economies with less reliance on physical facilities and premises that already in cities and/or regions. The goal is also to attract young STEM and Smart Specialisation talents into a diverse set of regions to use and further develop products and R&D using the virtual laboratory technology and networked opportunities that the technology will provide access to.

3.2.1 Examples of target beneficiaries

The following case study examples illustrate how the VLS tool could be developed to bring benefit to businesses working on smart specialisation challenges:

-      Marine Technology: The Virtual Laboratory Simulation (VLS) tool has the potential to be introduced in the marine technology smart specialisation theme e.g. where maritime operations must be developed to support the installation and maintenance of marine energy devices at sea. Operators and personnel will have to work in hazardous environments. The VLS tool could be used to simulate these hazardous operations enabling users to familiarise themselves with processes, activities and equipment in a safe environment before undertaking challenges in real sea conditions. Marine Environmental businesses require in-depth knowledge of marine ecology. A marine consultancy could be required to examine animal and plant effects on marine cables; the VLS tool could help them with species identification and the underlying impact on the cable materials and properties.

-      Agritech: For example, companies developing small scale AD renewable energy systems used in agritech businesses could use VLS to understand the properties of different microbes in the recipe to produce biochemical reactions used to generate energy. Companies could be provided with in-depth chemical knowledge and virtual simulations of the chemical and industrial processes as well as how equipment should be used and how it performs. This would improve their knowledge and therefore help them provide better solutions to their clients.

-      E-health and Well-being: The potential exists to put VLS in the hands of both practitioners and clients to better inform all parties in the efficient delivery of e-health and well-being. Individuals providing or requiring care could use a VLS tool which would help manage specific health challenges, particularly those requiring care in remote areas where there is pressure to be more self-sufficient in managing specific challenges.

-      Space & Aerospace: VLS could be developed to work in space & aerospace applications to support engineers and physicists in the sector. VLS could feature as part of the development of new satellite applications enabling remote tools for remote learning or (as noted above) e-health and well-being applications to be delivered across wide areas.

-                Digital Economy: The development of regional STEM Centres of Excellence (e.g. Virtual Science Centres) for VLS would contribute to the growth of regions’ digital economic sectors, particularly through helping to grow the region’s talent and number of jobs in software development and STEM related careers. New learners will be encouraged to make a transition into these sectors experiencing a demand for skilled employment. The project will be a key part of securing existing and promoting a new wave of highly skilled jobs which will contribute to economic growth.

3.3 Increasing competencies and productivity

A concern around a reduction in productivity across the UK economy over the past two decades:

The impact is not isolated to the UK but is a trend that sees high technology companies investing large amounts of resources in traditional R&D and innovation without gaining a proportionate ROI (i.e. Pfizer has recently been highlighted as a large corporate company with lack of ROI and productivity to show for its large R&D investments using physical lab facilities). It is widely recognised that digitalisation is the key to unlock productivity but with few companies investing time and resources to engage in utilising technologies such as Virtual Laboratory Simulations and Virtual Reality. Labster has in its Innovation Fund Denmark R&D project “SIPROS” described following for its application of VR enabled Virtual Laboratory Simulations in R&D and innovation processes:

“SIPROS will use VR technology and haptic feedback gloves for value added outcomes in the way that staff engage in research, development and innovation processes. Delicate tasks and movements in workflows can be repeated, in a highly realistic way, without increasing costs, and without any potential for accidents and flaws. VR even allow trainees to practice rare scenarios such as plant shut-down or safety measures whenever they need. In comparison, if trainees had to acquire the same amount of practical experience with a task by traditional practice in the real world, the cost is estimated to exceed the cost of using VR by a factor of 5-50000x (ranging from relatively simple laboratory tasks to the cost of stopping or delaying start of a production line).

Productivity will be one of the key issues for countries with high level and proportion of R&D. The R&D expenditures of the Biotech Industry compared to all business enterprise R&D in Denmark is one of the highest in the world, and therefore this area is of particular high relevance to growth and export in Denmark. There is a need in the industry not just to keep investing more money but to evaluate and review whether the existing type and range of work can be done not just more cost effectively but also more flexibly and whether technology is leveraged adequately to achieve better and sustainable results for quality production and new product innovation.”

This ambition linked to increase in productivity and improved use of digital R&D resources as a foundation for overall increased Return on Investment will be replicated throughout the UK albeit on a much larger scale for a range of SMEs based in a number of different Smart Specialisation sectors.

These R&D indicators is something that Labster’s VLS and VR technologies can have a significant impact on. From Labster’s research findings from learning effectiveness alone ( please see references http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v32/n7/full/nbt.2955.html and http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0155895 ) there is growing evidence that simulation and immersive technologies have cognitive advantages that enable more effective and creative learning and work practices that aids improved collaboration, understanding of complex problems and solutions, real-life application, prototyping and collaborative processes without the fear of failure or waste of resources.

3.4 Increasing access to scientific and university apprenticeships

Labster has experienced a lot of interest from Further Education colleges and University Technical Colleges to use virtual laboratory simulations as part of the increasing course development for scientific and university apprenticeships. The reason for the interest from colleges is the ability of virtual laboratory simulations to increase the learning of students with STEM ability but with low level knowledge, confidence and self-efficacy.

The scientific and university apprenticeships will benefit from the introduction of virtual laboratory simulations as it is possible to introduce blended learning and flipped lab educational methodologies that will make it possible to implement differential learning that will allow home based, supervised, employer based and college directed learning optimising the different learning styles that the young people have coming into these STEM courses. It will also allow for young people of all economic status and geographical locations to apply to the courses regardless of the barriers of access or funding available to access educational institutions equipped with equipment needed to gain the specific skills and competencies that employers require. With an additional layer of industry involvement, virtual laboratory simulations can be developed so that they mimic the real life working environment and work flows that the students will meet at the various employers.

4. FURTHER SUPPORTIVE INFORMATION AND DATA

In conclusion, Labster would like to invite the Parliamentary Committee to request further detail and explanation of any or all the issues included in the response to the inquiry about the STEM skills gap. In addition, Labster would like to offer to supply further and new information from the wealth of information and activities that the company is undertaking in collaboration with Higher Education and Further Education institutions across the UK. Contact details are listed at the top of the document. Labster looks forward to contribute towards the very important mission of reducing the STEM skills gap in the UK in partnership with local, regional and national stakeholders.

January 2017