Supporting student learning of chemical reaction engineering using a socially scaffolded virtual laboratory concept

The VL concept proved to be an efficient method for supporting the students' ability to execute the various subtasks in reactor design in a professional manner. Students had to explicate their understanding of the task, and they could use their cognitive capacity on problem solving rather than the more technical or practical skills of data acquisition. For the teacher, the method provided an opportunity to scaffold the various student groups at different levels. It also helped to distinguish between groups using concept-based approaches and equation-based approaches and to guide the latter toward the approach used by the former.