Science lab with remote and real experiments in rural schools

The The University of Deusto launched the project Rural, Remote and Realistic R3: Promoting STEM careers (or STEM, for its English acronym) in rural schools through remote experiments.. It is an initiative funded by FECYT of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (FCT-20-15490) and LabsLand. To alleviate the shortage of scientific equipment in rural centers.

Many rural schools do not have sufficient infrastructure Given its size and isolation, this does not mean that its students are also capable of developing STEM/STEM skills and become future scientists or engineers. The problem is If they don’t have laboratories, they can’t experiment, investigate and talk to nature to be scientists. Project R3 mitigates this situation through remote experimentation.

real experience

What is a remote experience? Well, it is simply a real experience that is manipulated, controlled, and displayed through the web page. Hands and eyes on the front. As far as remote experiments are concerned, the ones used in the R3 project are the company’s LabsThe University of Deusto, the world leader in remote experiments. Watch Pedro Sanchez’s video talking about LabsLand.

This way, teachers don’t have to buy anything, or keep running it, they just connect to a website and start ‘experimenting’. Everything is real. Thus, the student learns to program the robots using Blockly / Scratch, but the teacher does not buy, maintain or repair it, and all this is available 24 hours a day. To this, it is added thatRural school students have higher digital skills than urban students. Therefore, “the use of remote experiments is an unbeatable solution to fill the gaps that exist.”

at the moment, More than 30 schools are participating in the R3 project. In each, the teacher chose a remote experiment that he would use in his class with his students and in which he had previously received basic science training. More than 50 remote experiences are available in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Programming, Biology, etc. Some examples: Students learn to program a robot that can be in Spain, but also in the United States or South Africa. Or they analyze the behavior of shoppers in sugary or exciting drinks to understand their effect. Or do they understand how the pendulum works…

The results, so far, couldn’t be more positive In the classroom, for both teachers and students, so much so that “teachers now see a clear opportunity where they have a problem and, moreover, the students enjoy the experience.” The teacher’s testimonial is an example: “The center, my students, and I are so grateful to have been chosen as a classroom experience to consider. For us, from such a small population and with the resources we have in the school, having the opportunity to be part of the R3 project is exciting and exciting because It gives us the opportunity to expand the physical boundaries set both on its own and because it gives us insight into different educational fields, which is overwhelming as well as motivating and motivating.. “

First, digital debt