Through the establishment of a virtual laboratory network this project will bring the state-of-the-art facilities and world-class research of Australia’s Universities directly into our schools to engage high-school students with science and maths nationally. Primary goals include:
- The development of new laboratory projects with high-school access via our e-Virtual laboratory targeted at secondary years 7-12 which are fully integrated with our state-wide curriculum. Once the program is available nationally we will consider the curriculum of other states, and the impending national curriculum.
- The establishment of a website (including discussion forums) summarising the virtual experiences available, and including downloadable teaching materials and technical notes. This will allow students and teachers to choose a level of engagement appropriate for their needs and abilities.
- Promotion, demonstration, and explanation of the La Trobe e-lab project at schools within our local catchment areas (including regional schools near the Bendigo campus). This will be coordinated through the Quantum Victoria Physical Sciences cluster node.
- The expansion of the virtual lab project to other subject areas such as Agriculture and Molecular Sciences and to other Universities and expansion of project to a national level. This will build on existing networks, such as the Australian Institute of Physics and the Innovative Research Universities consortium.
Project partners
This project builds upon, and extends, several existing partnerships between schools, existing laboratory-based outreach programs, regional-capital intra- and inter-institutional collaborations, e-research infrastructure, and industrial partnerships.
La Trobe University is working with James Cook University, Curtin University, Quantum Victoria, the Australian Institute of Physics, and the Victorian eResearch Strategic Initiative.