Paper—Developing a Virtual Nature Laboratory of Faculty Social Science (LAV-FIS) to Assists… Developing a Virtual Nature Laboratory of Faculty Social Science (LAV-FIS) to Assists Field-Based Learning during Pandemic: A Need Analysis Review https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i07.28481 Bayu Kurniawan 1(*) , Rajendra Prasad Shrestha 2 , I Komang Astina 1 , Nur Hadi 1 , Listyo Yudha Irawan 1 , Elya Kurniawati 1 , Agung Wiradimadja 1 1 Universitas Negeri Malang, East Java, Indonesia 2 Asian Institute of Technology, Khlong Nueng, Thailand bayu.kurniawan.fis@um.ac.id Abstract—The Covid-19 outbreak has affected several aspects of field-based learning. The best way to ensure the survival and safety of everyone involved in field-based learning is to adapt and integrate technology. In response to this problem, numerous innovations in learning technology that lead to the virtual- ization of the learning environment have begun to emerge. However, the various application products developed have fallen short of the expectations of students. As a result, in order to design the optimal virtual application for use in field- based learning, a needs analysis must be done. This study offers an understanding of student needs for virtual field-based learning applications. An online survey of 140 active university students was carried out to do so. The results showed that students require applications with sophisticated features that resemble the real world for the implementation of online field-based learning. They expect the incorporation of online meeting features, 360 Virtual Reality Panorama, access to learning videos, augmented reality, learning materials, chatbox, and multimedia into the software that will be developed. Keywords—LAV-FIS, field-based learning, virtual, learning, Covid-19 1 Introduction The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is threatening many aspects of life, including edu- cation. These difficulties are addressed by modifying the educational system, which employs technology as a platform In the United Kingdom, for example, health infor- mation technology (HIT) has been integrated into the health learning system [1]. In Pakistan, the Flipped Class Room (FCR) is utilized to supports both synchronous and asynchronous online learning [2]. Meanwhile, during this pandemic, e-learning is widely employed as a platform for learning at all levels of education [3]–[6]. Not only technologies specifically designed for education, even social media is also used to sup- port the teaching and learning process during this pandemic. Whatsapp, for instance, is one of the social media that are widely used for the learning process in Indonesia [7]. In this setting, the Indonesian government implemented a learn-at-home strategy. 22 http://www.i-jim.org