The Quality of Technical Education in the Context of Virtual Laboratories: A Critical Analytical Study of Contemporary Literature and Research (2020–2026)

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of virtual laboratories as a strategic and essential complementary alternative for enhancing the quality of technical education, while identifying the operational challenges associated with their adoption in resource-constrained academic environments. The research employed a descriptive-analytical approach based on a comprehensive literature review and qualitative thematic analysis of academic literature and theses published between 2020 and 2026. The comparative analysis revealed that digital laboratories have a highly positive impact on fostering conceptual understanding and the visual and spatial consolidation of abstract software structures and electronic systems. Furthermore, they offer significant economic and security advantages by providing isolated environments (sandboxes) that enable cybersecurity experiments at zero replication cost. Conversely, a cross-analysis of the local context identified critical structural and logistical challenges as the primary obstacles to sustaining this digital initiative across Libyan universities; these include public grid instability, power outages, fluctuating internet connectivity, and the substandard technical specifications of students' personal devices. The study recommended investing in sustainable alternative energy solutions (solar power) within university faculties and adopting a local hybrid (offline/hybrid) digital laboratory model to reduce total reliance on external cloud connectivity and circumvent local infrastructure limitations.