miniPCR Digital is an e-learning platform that supports experiment-based learning in the classroom. Intended for use by teachers and students, it hosts fully virtual labs as well as guides to support hands-on lab activities. Explore miniPCR Digital at digital.minipcr.com.

You can register a free account at digital.minipcr.com to begin using miniPCR Digital Activities.

Watch this video for a detailed explanation of the account setup process.

To log in to miniPCR Digital, go to digital.minipcr.com and click the “sign in” link in the top right corner.

Watch this video to walk through the login process.

See the gallery at the bottom of the miniPCR Digital homepage for an up-to-date listing of available Digital Activities. Our library generally includes two types of Digital Activities: Lab Companions and Lab Simulations.

Lab Companions are intended for use with a hands-on classroom activity. Companion activities contain background information with assessment questions, a protocol to guide students through the lab, and reference results to interpret. 

Lab Simulations are fully virtual lab activities, and contain the same content as the Companions, without the experimental protocol. Students are still able to predict, observe, and interpret experimental outcomes.

Here are some recommended uses of Digital Activities under different implementation scenarios:

• Hands-on learning: Use a Lab Companion to introduce students to the background information and guide them through the hands-on experiment and data analysis.
• Virtual learning: Assign a fully virtual and self-paced Lab Simulation as a stand-in for a hands-on lab.
• Flipped classroom: Use a Lab Simulation as homework to ensure students arrive in class ready to carry out a hands-on lab.

Lab Companions offer these advantages when used to scaffold a hands-on lab experience:

• Self-paced learning: Students advance through the lab at their own pace.
• Richly illustrated hands-on steps: The protocol is illustrated with photos and videos so students can see how the experiment should look each step of the way.
• Integrated assessment questions: Lab Companions include pre- and post-lab questions that are autograded to simplify assessment.
• Guaranteed data interpretation: All students practice analytical skills on reference data, even in the face of experimental errors.

Lab Simulations can be a perfect stand-in for a hands-on lab activity, offering students an opportunity to make observations and interpret data as if they were in the lab. However, Lab Simulations can also be used to complement a hands-on learning experience (see question below).

Lab days can be overwhelming for students, as they need to grasp the curricular content, understand the lab procedure, and master the mechanics of conducting a hands-on experiment—all at once. 

Digital Lab Simulations help by providing essential background knowledge, introducing students to the experimental protocol, and giving them a chance to practice interpreting data ahead of time. This preparation allows students to arrive in the classroom ready to focus on the hands-on aspects of the lab, with the foundational concepts already familiar and more manageable.

Yes. Users with free teacher accounts may preview activities in their entirety by clicking the “Browse activities” tab from their teacher dashboard. Watch this video to walk through that process.

Users can also browse available activities after signing in as a guest.

In addition, teachers can assign the Microbe Hunters sample activity to classes of up to 40 students for free.

Licenses are required to assign paid activities to your students on miniPCR Digital.

A miniPCR Digital Lab Pass can be used to assign a single Digital Lab to one class of up to 40 students. Each Digital Lab includes a Lab Companion and a Lab Simulation (see “Digital Activities” section for details).

A miniPCR Digital All-Access Pass can be used to assign unlimited Digital Labs to one class of up to 40 students. No license is required to assign the free Microbe Hunters sample activity to your students.

Users with classes of more than 40 students can use miniPCR Digital Add-On Packs to increase their headcount.

miniPCR Digital licenses can be purchased in the same way you would purchase other goods from miniPCR. Most users complete their purchases online at the miniPCR store. If using a Purchase Order, please submit it to orders@minipcr.com.

Watch this video for a detailed explanation of buying and using licenses.

The buyer will receive a license code by email after completing their purchase. The buyer should forward this email to the intended user(s) if they are purchasing licenses on the behalf of others.

Complete the following steps to redeem your license code:

1. Create a free account at digital.minipcr.com, or log into an existing teacher account.
2. Click the “Licenses” tab on your dashboard.
3. Click the “Redeem code” button. 
4. Paste your license code and click the “Redeem code” button.

Licenses that have been successfully redeemed will appear on your “Licenses” page. Redeemed licenses may be applied to classes to unlock paid activities.

Watch this video for a detailed explanation of buying and using licenses.

Licenses must be redeemed (see question above) before they can be applied to a class. The process for applying a license depends on the license type:

• Digital Lab Passes and All-Access Passes can be applied at the time of class creation or by clicking the pencil icon to edit an existing class. Click the “select a license” button to apply your license.
• All-Access Pass Upgrade licenses can be applied by opening the “Licenses” pop-up for the class you’d like to upgrade. Click the “upgrade” button to apply your license. 
• Add-On Pack licenses can be applied by clicking the pencil icon to edit your class of interest, then clicking the “add students” button.

Watch this video for a detailed explanation of buying and using licenses.

The license code email is automatically sent to the purchaser of the license. If you are not the purchaser, contact the purchaser and ask them to forward you the email. Alternatively, they can provide your email address instead of their own at the time of purchase.

Otherwise, email support@minipcr.com and we will verify your purchase and re-issue your license code email.

You can buy an All-Access Pass Upgrade to convert your Digital Lab Pass to an All-Access Pass. This will allow you to assign unlimited activities to your class.

Watch this video to walk through the process of upgrading a Digital Lab Pass.

Digital licenses that have been applied to a class may not be returned or exchanged. Unapplied Digital licenses may be returned or exchanged within fourteen (14) days or purchase.

License codes must be redeemed within 12 months of purchase. Licenses must be applied to a class and used within 12 months of code redemption.

1. First, ensure that you and your students have registered for free accounts at digital.minipcr.com.
2. Create a class and select the activity you would like to assign.
   • Note that you will need to apply a license to assign a paid activity to your class. (See “Licenses” section above.)
3. Share your 8-digit alphanumeric class code with your students. After they join your class, they will see the assigned activities on their dashboard.

If you have already onboarded students into a class, you can assign additional activities by clicking the “Activities” icon from the “Manage classes” screen, then clicking the “Assign activity” button.

Watch this video to learn how to create classes and onboard students.

Watch this video to walk through the process of assigning activities to a class.

After you have created your class and generated an 8-digit alphanumeric class code, students should follow these steps to join your class:

1. Create a free student account at digital.minipcr.com.
2. While logged in, click the “Classes” tab.
3. Click the “I have a code” button at the bottom of the “Classes” page.
4. Enter the class code in the pop-up dialogue box.

If the class code is valid and the headcount for the class has not been exceeded, students will now see your class on their “Classes” page.

Watch this video for a walkthrough of this process.

By default, class size is capped at 40 students. You can add seats to your class by purchasing miniPCR Digital Add-On Packs.

Watch this video to walk through the process of using an Add-On Pack to extend the headcount of your class.

• The class roster reflects students’ activity completion status. Access the roster by clicking the “Activities” icon from the “Manage classes” screen, then clicking “View roster” for the activity you are interested in.
• The Performance Snapshot gives you a detailed look at how your students performed on each assessment question. Access the Performance Snapshot by clicking the “Activities” icon from the “Manage classes” screen, then clicking “Assessment summary” for the activity you are interested in.

Watch this video for a detailed explanation of the progress monitoring tools available on miniPCR Digital.

You can download a .csv grade report from the class roster by following these steps:

1. Access the roster by clicking the “Activities” icon from the “Manage classes” screen.
2. Click “View roster” for the activity you are interested in. 
3. Clicking the “Export class data” button at the bottom of that screen will trigger a .csv download.

Watch this video to walk through the process of downloading the .csv grade report.

Class data will be deleted two years after the class is created. To keep a record of your students’ grades beyond that timeframe, we recommend downloading the .csv grade report.

Watch this video to walk through the process of downloading the .csv grade report.

The student will be removed from your roster, and will lose the ability to access your class and any assigned activities. Any progress they’ve made on assigned activities will be lost.

If you archive a class, your students will no longer be able to view or complete the activities you assign. They will still be able to access their assessment summary, and you will still be able to review their performance and download a .csv grade report.

Please note that archiving a class is permanent. Once a class is archived, it cannot be reactivated.

Watch this video to walk through the process of archiving your class.

Yes. miniPCR Digital may only be used by students age 13+, and is intended for users in the United States.

At the time of account registration, students and teachers will be required to agree to the miniPCR Digital Terms of Use, Privacy Notice, and Genetic Data Privacy Notice. Teachers will additionally be required to agree to the miniPCR Digital Service Agreement.

Registered users who complete the PTC Taster Lab Companion will be asked to share their TAS2R38 genotype, based on their interpretation of their experimental results. This piece of information may be considered “genetic data” or “consumer health data” as defined by applicable genetic and health data laws. The Genetic Data Privacy Notice explains how such data is handled.

While this agreement is required of all platform registrants, users completing activities other than the PTC Taster Lab Companion will not be asked to share their genetic data.