Sophia Learning Partners with Labster to Offer Virtual Lab Simulations in Select STEM Courses

Low-cost college-level course credits with integrated lab simulations in STEM fields offered to students looking to advance their education journey

Sophia Learning  (www.sophia.org), an online and on-demand learning platform providing general education-level courses to students at any stage of their higher education journey, today announced a partnership with Labster (www.labster.com), the world’s leading edtech platform for virtual labs and interactive science, to deliver college-level science courses incorporating Labster's simulation content. The partnership is designed to help meet the evolving higher education needs of Sophia Learning’s students and working adults. Sophia Learning is a subsidiary of Strategic Education, Inc., an education company dedicated to improving college affordability, student engagement, and workforce readiness. 

“I continue to be amazed by the enrollment growth of Sophia, which is a true testament to the team’s constant drive to enrich its curriculum and offerings to meet our students’ evolving needs and support their credit advancement and affordable education journey,” said Karl McDonnell, CEO of Strategic Education. “We're thrilled to partner with Labster and I look forward to seeing how our course designers will leverage the platform’s innovative simulations to enhance our science lab offerings.”

The Chemistry lab course developed with Labster is American Council on Education (ACE®) recommended for college credit, which means it may qualify for course credit transfer toward a degree at numerous colleges and universities. Other courses are currently being reviewed by ACE for potential credit recommendation. These courses present an attractive option for earning low-cost college-level credits in STEM fields.

Sophia’s Chemistry lab course was the first to launch with Labster simulations in December 2022. Throughout 2023, Sophia Learning will be building four additional online lab courses with Labster's simulations. The courses will include additional Labster supplemental content such as lab manuals, lab reports, formative assessments and introductory videos to aid students in completing the lab simulations.

When they go live, the five Sophia Learning courses with Labster-integrated labs will be:

1. Introduction to Chemistry
2. Human Biology
3. Microbiology
4. Anatomy and Physiology I
5. Anatomy and Physiology II

“The Sophia Learning team has curriculum-design expertise that allows them to wrap theory, instruction and assessment around our interactive simulated laboratories to present ACE-recommended courses,” said Mark Michelson, head of strategic partnerships for Labster. “They’ve shown true leadership in their commitment to developing professional advancement in STEM fields.”

Gamification Boosts Student Engagement and Scores

Labster provides educators with the ability to digitally explore and enhance science offerings and supplement their classroom activities. Labster now offers more than 300 titles in its catalog of STEM curriculum-aligned virtual lab simulations, suitable for more than 50 academic courses. The browser-based Labster simulations can be played on a variety of the most commonly used devices — from desktop computers to iPad and Android tablets to Chromebooks. Labster also integrates with existing learning management systems, making it easy for instructors to view student performance data and tailor decisions on coaching, as well as reduce time spent on grading.

Independent research and case studies demonstrate the gamification techniques and entertaining real-world scenarios of the Labster simulations boost student enthusiasm and engagement so they perform better in physical labs and score higher in tests as a result of their prep work on the Labster platform. Students can explore simulations on their own, in state-of-the-art laboratories from their internet browsers, without educational institutions having to construct multimillion-dollar facilities.

Interested students can sample portions of Sophia Learning courses before signing up for a low-cost monthly subscription to take the college-level classes. Educators may request a free all-access trial of Labster virtual labs and interactive science solutions.

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About Sophia Learning

Sophia Learning offers dozens of online, low-cost general education-level courses that are ACE®-recommended for college credit. Sophia Learning pairs high-quality online courses for college-level credit with a curriculum committed to meeting the higher education needs of students and working adults, and over 1,000 colleges and universities have been sent Sophia transcripts. For more information about transfer credit eligibility, please visit Sophia.org. Sophia Learning is a subsidiary of Strategic Education, Inc. Visit www.sophia.org.

About Labster

Labster is dedicated to developing fully interactive virtual training simulations that are designed to enhance traditional learning outcomes by stimulating students’ natural curiosity and reinforcing the connection between science and the real world. The simulations can be used in a variety of ways, from a full-lab replacement to a supplemental learning activity. Over 5 million students in high schools and universities in 70 countries have used Labster to perform realistic experiments, learn key science concepts and practice their skills in a risk-free learning environment. Labster’s team members are passionate about improving science learning, resulting in collaborations with over 3,000 leading educational institutions. Visit www.labster.com.

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Media Contact

Kaylee Arca

Sterling Communications for Labster

408-395-5500

labster@sterlingpr.com

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Elaine Kincel

Corporate Communications at Strategic Education, Inc.

elaine.kincel@strategiced.com

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