The Impact of Web‐Based 360° Virtual Laboratory on Cognitive Load, Emotional Patterns and Visual Attention

ABSTRACT Background Web‐based 360° virtual laboratory environments, also known as virtual laboratories, have become increasingly popular in laboratory education due to improved learning experiences, flexibility, accessibility and scalability. Objectives This study investigated how a web‐based 360° virtual laboratory impacts students' cognitive load, visual attention and emotional responses when studying a laboratory experiment. Methods Participants were 80 Finnish‐speaking students who studied identical laboratory experiment slideshow content either with the web‐based 360° virtual laboratory or, in the control condition, with the same content presented against a black background instead of 360° images. Exam score, perceived learning performance, emotional responses and eye‐tracking metrics such as fixation, saccades and gaze entropy were used in the analysis. Results and Conclusions Although no significant differences emerged in exam scores or self‐reported learning outcomes, students using the virtual laboratory showed longer fixations and more dynamic saccades, indicating increased sustained and exploratory visual attention. Emotional measures suggested a calmer emotional state in the virtual laboratory group, pointing to a more comfortable user experience. Importantly, the virtual environment did not increase cognitive load. The results indicate that virtual laboratories may enhance attentional engagement and promote a more positive user experience without significantly imposing additional cognitive load. For educators and instructional designers, the results highlight how accessible web‐based tools can improve pre‐laboratory preparation and support student focus, offering scalable and practical alternatives to more resource‐intensive immersive technologies.