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STEM labs

Who this is for: teachers · Where: STEM labs in the sidebar.

What this page is for​

Virtual practical work in physics, chemistry, biology and astronomy. A pupil manipulates real apparatus on screen, takes readings from it, and then calculates an answer — rather than reading about an experiment.

Choosing a lab​

Browse the catalogue by subject and grade. Each lab is written for a specific grade rather than a range, so a grade 8 list is genuinely grade 8 work.

You can also propose a lab that does not exist yet, with a title and a description of how it should work.

What a pupil does​

Every lab follows the same arc, so pupils learn the shape once:

  1. Observe — set the apparatus up and watch what happens
  2. Measure — take readings from the instruments
  3. Calculate — work out the answer and type it in
  4. Predict — say what will happen if something changes
  5. Verify or apply — test the prediction, or apply it to a real situation

They can move back and forward through completed steps to check earlier work.

The calculation is the point

Instruments give readings; the pupil supplies the formula. Some formulas are given and some withheld deliberately, so the lab is reasoning rather than data entry.

Assigning​

Like an exam: pick classes, choose individual or group work, set how many variants, and set the window.

With groups, everyone in a group gets the same variant but works at their own bench — so they can discuss the same numbers without sharing one screen.

Duration and window are separate

The window is when the lab is open; the duration is how long a pupil has once they start. Whichever ends first wins. A lab left with only the window set will show pupils a much longer time than you intended.

Monitoring​

The monitor shows each pupil live: their status, how many calculation fields they have filled, and their score so far. It updates on its own.

  • Close early submits everyone with what they have
  • Anything still running is auto-submitted when the window ends

Seeing the working​

Open a pupil to see every field: the prompt, what they typed, the correct answer, how many attempts they made, and the points earned.

This is what makes marking possible

Early versions stored only which questions were right, so a wrong answer left no trace — neither you nor the pupil could see what went wrong. Every attempt is now recorded.

You can override the automatic score and enter your own mark, which goes to the electronic journal.

Rules and limits​

  • Labs cost you nothing to run. Every lab comes from the built-in catalogue, so assigning one spends no AI tokens.
  • A pupil gets one session per assignment. Group membership locks once they start.
  • Scoring is recomputed on the server from the recorded answers, so a mark cannot be set by the browser.
  • Results show stars proportional to the percentage, not three all-or-nothing stars.

Troubleshooting​

"A pupil's timer showed far too long." The lab had a window but no duration, or an old assignment predates the fix. Recreate it with both set.

"The monitor shows 1 of 2 steps for a lab with many stages." Fixed — progress is now counted in calculation fields, which is what actually varies.

"A pupil says it did not tell them what was wrong." Also fixed. Open their result: every field shows their answer beside the correct one.

"I cannot delete a lab." Pupils have already started it. Close the assignment instead.