Get started with Virtual Lab items
Updated 22 Feb 2021
When assignments contain Virtual Lab items, students enter a Virtual Lab Room to perform a lab experiment online.
Virtual Labs require a student purchase
Some Mastering products offer assignable items that require students to have access to one or more Virtual Labs. Students can obtain a subscription for individual lab rooms or for the full suite of labs available for your Mastering product. Before the semester begins, determine which Virtual Lab Rooms your students will need so they can purchase subscriptions at the start of the course; otherwise, students are prompted to purchase access when they open an assigned Virtual Lab item.
Students obtain Virtual Lab subscriptions either by redeeming access codes or by making an online purchase
Regardless of how students get access to Virtual Labs: They must use the SAME Pearson Student account (username and password) for both the Mastering product and any of its associated Virtual Lab subscriptions.
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Contact your sales representative to order textbooks bundled with student access code cards for Mastering with Virtual Labs. You can choose whether students can access Mastering with all, or just some, Virtual Labs. As always, some Mastering codes also grant access to the Pearson eText.
If students receive more than one access code for Mastering Biology or Mastering Biology Virtual Labs: They should register with all their access codes BEFORE they join your online course. (These instructions are also provided on the Virtual Labs access code card.)
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When purchasing access to Mastering online, students have the option to also buy access to the full suite of Virtual Labs. They are not given the option to buy individual labs.
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Students can purchase access from any assignment that requires a Virtual Lab subscription. Students who don't yet have access to the appropriate Virtual Lab are given the option to buy a subscription for the required Virtual Lab when they open the assignment item. They can also buy the full suite of labs for your Mastering product at this time. It’s better if students know which Virtual Lab rooms they need before the semester begins, so they aren't prompted to purchase access when they start an assignment.
How much do Virtual Labs cost when purchased individually or as a suite? Contact your sales representative for details about the purchase price for Virtual Labs for your Mastering product. Purchasing the full suite of labs costs less than purchasing each lab individually.
To choose Virtual Lab items for an assignment
- From the Course Home, select
Create Assignment (Assignments area). - Select Create a New Assignment then Continue.
- Enter an assignment title, accept or change the category, enter any staff notes, and select Save and Continue.
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If your course is based on a textbook (book name and edition displays in the upper right): From the Book/Source menu, choose Virtual Biology Labs (or Virtual Labs for your discipline), and then from the Lab Room menu, select a lab room, such as the Microscopy Lab Room.
If your course is based on Virtual Labs content only (upper right displays "Virtual Biology Labs" or Virtual Labs for your discipline): From the Lab Room menu, select a lab room, such as the Microscopy Lab Room.
- Preview and assign lab items. Publisher-provided TEMPLATE items are available for you to create your own lab procedure and questions.
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Continue creating the assignment, including organizing its content and assigning a due date and time.
You can also assign a due date for this and other assignments later.
- Select Save and Finish.
Unless you know that all of your students can access the needed Virtual Lab Room, you should assign Virtual Lab items only in assignments without time limits, such as those in the Homework category. Otherwise, the first time a student without access to a particular Virtual Lab opens an assignment that requires this subscription, the student could lose time when purchasing access online or redeeming an access code.