Physics virtual laboratory: an innovative media in 21st century learning

Abstract

Despite Virtual Laboratory (VL) in 21st century Physics learning is commonly used, but its development which is appropriate with theories and concepts is still a lacking. VL is a media to explain abstract concepts and minimize misconceptions. If VL is applied in Physics instruction, a better understanding of Physics theories and concepts is needed. This development study aims to 1) map important components for creating Physics Virtual Laboratory (PVL), 2) create PVL innovation which is appropriate with theories and concepts of Physics, and 3) design the PVL sketch and animation. This study uses an instructional design of Morrison, Ross, and Kemp to create the PVL. Isobaric process in Thermodynamics is provided as the topic. The findings of the study are 1) PVL consists of some components, i.e. basic competence and indicator, video, experiment goals, virtual experiment, and problems, 2) Thermodynamics is applied for developing the PVL, and 3) the final sketch is designed using Corel Draw and Adobe Illustrator, while the animation is created by Adobe Flash. Further study is recommended to implement the PVL to other Thermodynamics processes, such as isothermal, isochoric, or adiabatic.