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Javier García Zubía and Gustavo R. Alves (eds.) Using Remote Labs in Education Two Little Ducks in Remote Experimentation Prize for Best Research UD – Grupo Santander DeustoDigital Using Remote Labs in Education Two Little Ducks in Remote Experimentation © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 Using Remote Labs in Education Two Little Ducks in Remote Experimentation Javier García Zubía and Gustavo R. Alves (eds.) Juan Vélez S.J. Diego Gracia Carlos M.ª Romeo Javier Gafo S.J. Marciano Vidal José C. Bermejo 2011 University of Deusto Bilbao © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 Engineering, no. 8 Edition revised by Anselmo del Moral Bueno Any form of reproduction, distribution, public communi- cation or transformation of the work can only be performed following authorisation by its owners, unless legally es- tablished otherwise. If you wish to photocopy or scan any part of this work please contact CEDRO (Centro Español de Derechos Reprográfi cos / Spanish Copyrights Centre) at www.cedro.org. © University of Deusto P.O. box 1 - 48080 Bilbao e-mail: [email protected] ISBN: 978-84-9830-398-8 Legal Deposit: BI - 3.409-2011 Impreso en España/Printed in Spain © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 Contents Preface, Susan M. Zvacek . 11 Introduction, Javier García Zubía, Gustavo R. Alves . 17 SECTION 1 Pioneers Chapter 1. Second Best to Being There: An Historical Perspective, Molly H. Shor, Carisa Bohus, Burçin Atkan . 27 Chapter 2. Engineering Controls Labs Operated Remotely, Jim Henry, Murat Ozkaya . 53 SECTION 2 iLabs around the Globe Chapter 3. Remote Labs in Education. The Obafemi Awolowo University Experience, L. O. Kehinde, Kayode P. Ayodele, Olawale B. Akinwale, O. Osa- sona . 81 Chapter 4. iLabs: Revolutionizing Teaching and Learning at Makerere Uni- versity, Sandy S. Tickodri-Togboa, Cosmas Mwikirize, Arthur A. Tumu- siime, Paul I. Musasizi . 113 Chapter 5. Online Spectrometer Experiments Using the iLab Shared Archi- tecture, Kimberly DeLong, Judson Harward, Philip Bailey, Gordon Kohse 121 © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 8 CONTENTS Chapter 6. Multifunctional Laboratories based on Agilent USB Technology LabVIEW Generated Web Interface, Dragos Iordache, Diana Pop, Cornel Samoila, Doru Ursutiu. 135 SECTION 3 Experiments in Electrical & Control Engineering Chapter 7. On Remote Electronics Experiments, Ingvar Gustavsson . 157 Chapter 8. Collaborative Remote Laboratory NetLab for Experiments in Electrical Engineering, Andrew Nafalski, Andrew, Jan Machotka, Zorica Nedic . 177 Chapter 9. Electronics Basics e-Learning: From Lectures to Lab, Sylvain Saïghi, Michel Billaud, Didier Geoffroy, Thomas Zimmer 199 Chapter 10. Using the Remote Lab of Electronics Physics (“Laboratorio Re- moto de Física Electrónica”) to Support Teaching and Learning Processes in Engineering Courses , Federico Lerro, Susana Marchisio, Emmanuel Perretta, Miguel Plano, Mauro Protano. 211 Chapter 11. Using Remote Laboratories in Combination with Hands-on Laboratories in an Analogue Electronics Module, Olaf H. Graven, Dag A. H. Samuelsen . 231 Chapter 12. UNED Labs: a Network of Virtual and Remote Laboratories, Sebastián Dormido, José Sánchez-Moreno, Héctor Vargas, Luis de la Torre, Rubén Heradio . 253 Chapter 13. e-Learning & Doing in Training for Automation Engineers, Reinhard Langmann . 271 SECTION 4 Experiments in Physics, Chemistry & Materials Chapter 14. Using Remote Lab for Physics Teaching, Hugo A. Kofman, Sonia B. Concari . 293 Chapter 15. Distance Education Introductory Physics Labs: Online or In- Home?, Martin Connors, Christy Bredeson, Farook Al-Shamali . 309 © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 CONTENTS 9 Chapter 16. Tele-operated Laboratory Experiments in Engineering Educa- tion. The Uniaxial Tensile Test for Material Characterization in Forming Technology, Christian Pleul, Claudius Terkowsky, Isa Jahnke, A. Erman Tekkaya . 323 Chapter 17. Virtual 3D Worlds and Remote Experimentation: A Method- ology Proposal Applied to Engineering Students, Roderval Marcelino, Juarez B. Silva, Andre V. Fidalgo, Lirio Schaeffer, João B. M. Alves. 349 Chapter 18. An Undergraduate Weblab Using the SIMATIC PCS7 Process Control System, Anders Selmer, Mike Goodson, Roger Watson, Andreas Brau- mann, Markus Kraft, Simon Baguley, Mike Abbott, Christian Callegari . 375 SECTION 5 Remote Lab Architectures & Architects Chapter 19. Towards a Better Deployment of Remote Laboratories in Under- graduate Engineering Education, Mohamed Tawfik, Elio Sancristóbal, Sergio Martín, Charo Gil, Alberto Pesquera, Salvador Ros, Rafael Pastor, Roberto Her- nández, Gabriel Díaz, Juan Peire, Manuel Castro . 387 Chapter 20. UTS Remote Labs, Labshare, and the Sahara Architecture, David Lowe, Tania Machet, Thorsten Kostulski . 403 Chapter 21. Smart Labs 2.0 for Engineering Education, Denis Gillet, Christophe Salzmann. 425 Chapter 22. On the Use and Promotion of Remote Labs in Portugal: A Per- sonal Commitment, Maria T. Restivo . 441 © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 Preface Susan M. Zvacek University of Kansas, (USA) e-mail: [email protected] A book about remote labs and engineering education begs to begin with the question, “Why do engineering programs include lab work?” Although this may seem like a given and not worth discussing, whenever we’re faced with innovative ideas, it’s important to “put everything on the table” in order to reassess its value to our program or goals. What is it about lab work that is of value to students? Are there elements of traditional labs that we could let go of? Are there elements that we don’t want to lose? These questions can help us to clarify how and why labs are integrated into an engineering education program. Why Labs? Reviewing the literature on engineering education, one is struck by how little mention is made of labs and what happens (or should happen) in them. If the integration of lab work merits so little discussion the risk is that we fall into complacency, assuming that everyone understands the purpose of lab work and – even riskier – that everyone agrees on it. Feisel and Rosa [1] put it concisely when they wrote, “While there seems to be general agreement that laboratories are necessary, little has been said about what they are expected to accomplish.” Accrediting bodies for engineering education hint (strongly) at the need for labs in their evaluation criteria, but stop short of specifying how any of the program outcomes should be addressed. For example, ABET includes in their program outcomes the expectation that students will have “the ability to design and conduct experiments” and “the ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools” [2, p. 5]. Similarly, EUR-ACE pro- gram criteria expect students to have, “Ability to select and use appropriate © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 12 PREFACE equipment, tools, and methods” as well as, “An understanding of applicable techniques and methods, and of their limitations [3, p. 6]. Laboratory instruction is likely to remain part of any serious engineering curriculum as one way to help students achieve these desirable outcomes. Why Remote Labs? Many programs now incorporate remote (and/or virtual) labs into their instruction to save money, extend scarce resources, or share equipment with another institution. It’s probably a safe bet that few, if any, engineering programs implement remote labs for pedagogical reasons, so the resulting learning benefits may come as a pleasant surprise. Depending on how the labs are deployed, those benefits are likely to include increased student access to equipment, greater flexibility in lab scheduling, a wider range of possible assignments or activities, and enhanced opportunities for collabo- ration among students. Increasing the amount of time that students have access to lab equip- ment can result in greater time-on-task per student; increased access may also refer to the types of equipment on which students may work. Either of these scenarios is likely to result in more and/or more varied learning. When labs are accessed online, students can (potentially) be engaged in learning at any time and from anywhere they have Internet access, as op- posed to hands-on activities that rely on the times that campus buildings are open and staff members are available. This increased access opens the door to activities that may take longer than a typical class meeting time or multi-part assignments that require students to use equipment for several short periods over the span of a week or more, both of which pose logisti- cal barriers in a hands-on environment. Finally, there may be enhanced opportunities for student collaboration when labs are accessed online, by removing the same-time same place constraints posed by traditional work groups. For tomorrow’s engineer, working on a team whose members are scattered around the country (or the globe) may be the norm and giving students practice with skills useful in this work environment (communica- tion and teamwork, for example) can give them a head-start. Planning Lab Instruction Although remote labs offer many educational benefits, their value depends heavily on how well the course designer plans the instruction. In very traditional programs, lab instruction has often followed a sequence of © University of Deusto - ISBN 978-84-9830-398-8 PREFACE 13 steps that included the instructor deciding on the teaching objectives (for example, to expose students to a new type of equipment or to demonstrate a process), designing the lab activities