Before and After: How Did the Pandemic Reshape Virtual Laboratory Research?

Virtual laboratories, as digital alternatives to traditional hands-on laboratories, have demonstrated their indispensable importance, effectively ensuring the continuity and efficiency of student experimental learning. In order to delve into the application and development of virtual laboratories during the pandemic, this study used Web of Science as the data source, selecting 606 articles from the period 2016 to 2019 (T1) and 911 articles from the period 2020 to 2023 (T2). The results show that, firstly, from the perspective of disciplinary productivity, the number of articles during T2 was significantly higher than during T1; Europe has consistently been a center for virtual laboratory-related research, with prominent research efforts from the United States, China, and Germany. Secondly, in terms of the evolution of research topics, the shift in research hotspots demonstrated a trend toward deep integration of technology and education; The mutual empowerment of online and offline environments, the creation of open integrated smart experimental platforms, as well as the focus on online interactive experimental environments, became important research directions. Finally, from the perspective of research frontiers, the field shifted from a focus solely on technology to exploring the effectiveness on learning outcomes, with research on virtual laboratories based on augmented reality technology emerging as the latest research frontier.