Limitations of Remote Laboratories in Control Engineering Education

Aliane, Nourdine; Pastor, Rafael; Mariscal, Gonzalo

doi:10.3991/ijoe.v6i1.1131

Cited by 18 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Virtual based learning environments have been shown to engage learners, and facilitate classroom instruction in several domains (Przybylski et al, 2012). However, in computing education, studies reported mixed results; some studies were in favor of virtualization Zhu (2015); Xu et al (2014); Plass et al (2012); Gaspar et al (2008) while other studies highlighted the drawbacks of using virtualization, namely; they did not allow collaborative learning, apprehending that it might have negative effects on students' motivation (Aliane et al, 2010) that they offered little benefit to students, and added unnecessary abstraction layer to the learning process (Pan, 2010). Given such contradictory views on the impact of virtualization on computer network learning, this two-group quasiexperimental study has attempted to investigate the impact of a virtual learning environment, namely, OPNET Networking simulator, on students' learning and motivation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When Virtual Becomes Better than Real: Investigating the Impact of a Networking Simulation on Learning and Motivation

Abdel-Maksoud

2018

International Journal of Education and Practice

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Article HistoryKeywords Virtualization Virtualization in education Simulation Computing education OPNET network simulator Experiential learning Virtualization technology has been around for many years, and its use is increasingly becoming common in education, in general and in computing fields, in particular. This can be attributed partly to its potential to reduce costs, boost efficiency and overcome limited resources through its virtual applications such as servers, storage devices and networks. However, the question is: "would that be at the cost of the quality of learning?" Besides, the way virtualized environments impact motivation needs further clarification, since it is a neglected area of research. This quasi-experimental study tried to address such questions through investigating the impact of virtualized networking software (OPNET Network Simulator) on students' learning and motivation. 116 undergraduate students enrolled in a computer networking class at one of the universities in Egypt participated in this study, who were then randomly assigned to an experimental group (N= 59), which used the OPNET Network simulator, and a control group (N= 57) which studied the same content via the traditional physical lab. Two instruments; a networking test, and a Motivation Scale were administered to both study groups prior and post the intervention. Results showed that students of experimental group who used OPNET Networking simulator had significantly higher grades and greater motivation levels than those of the control group.Contribution/Originality: This paper's primary contribution is to find out how virtual learning environments can prove more effective than real environment on both learning and motivation. The current study came to this conclusion by employing a quasi-experimental method, while other studies relied mostly on anecdotal or tentative evidence. useful in in the development of Web-based interactive learning resources in engineering education (Ndahi et al., 2007) and in developing interactive digital media (Tan, 2008;Yildirim et al., 2018).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When Virtual Becomes Better than Real: Investigating the Impact of a Networking Simulation on Learning and Motivation

Abdel-Maksoud

2018

International Journal of Education and Practice

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“…To accommodate new experiments one has to redesign the system. In this respect, some of the limitations of remote laboratories are reported some researchers [35]. c) Readily available commercial products: In recent years both the hardware and software technologies has been developed extensively, which has enabled the Internet accessible experiment designers to come up with more powerful systems that was not possible in the past.…”

Section: A What Are the Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internet Accessible Remote Experimentation: Setting the Right Course of Action

Azad

2010

Int. J. Onl. Eng.

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Abstract-This paper will have two parts. In the first part the author will focus on the current status of remote experimentation designs and how this has impacted our education and research activities with a notion that whether we are moving too fast while its acceptance has not yet realized. While for the second part, the author will describe some of the developments of remote experiment designs through his own work.Researchers have been working on remote experimentations for a considerable period of time and are making remarkable breakthroughs utilizing cutting edge technologies and current understanding of educational and learning strategies. After all of these developments, the popularity of remote experimentations is still very limited and does not have the attention of the academic community to incorporate them as a part of their regular curriculum. There are a number of factors that hinder acceptance of remote laboratories as a part of a curriculum. These are integration of a number of areas, modular designs, commercial products, maintenance, and administrative support. The paper will address these issues and will highlight how we can move forward in a coordinated manner so there will be a viable remote experimentation infrastructure with a high degree of acceptance.The author has a number of federal research grants (USA) where he has developed Internet accessible remote experimentation facilities. These facilities have features like use of single computer for accessing multiple experiments, manipulating experimental setup from remote locations, integrated assessment, and real-time learning management features. The developed facilities have used for delivering a number of experiment courses, while gathering data in terms of achieving learning outcomes and assessing the effectiveness of the system in terms of system designs.Index Terms-Online experiment, remote experimentation, distance learning, modularity in design, and learning management system.

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“…Most of these examples offer the possibility of working on either a simulated version of a physical process or a real device located at the universities laboratories. However, such platforms have certain limitations [16] that should also be enhanced to take into account the advantages of augmented reality instead of showing only visual feedback by video stream, specifically:…”

Section: Augmented Reality In Remote Experimentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Augmented Reality in Remote Laboratories

Vargas

Farías

Sánchez³

et al. 2013

INT J COMPUT COMMUN

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Abstract:This paper introduces the concept of "augmented reality" as a novel way to enhance visualization in remote laboratories for engineering education. In a typical remote experimentation session, students get access to a remote real plant located at the laboratory to carry out their assignments. Usually, the graphical user interface allows users to watch the equipment by video stream in live. However, in some cases, visual feedback by video stream could be enhanced by means of augmented reality techniques, which mix together in one image, the video stream and computer generated data. Such mixture produces an added value to remote experimentation, increasing the sense of presence and reality, and helping to understand much better the concepts under study. In this work, a Java-based approach to be used in the remote experimentation context for pedagogical purposes is presented. Firstly, a pure Java example is given to readers (including the source code) and then, a more sophisticated example using a Java-based open source tool known as Easy Java Simulations is introduced. This latter option takes advantage of a new developed component, called camimage, which is an easy-to-use visual element that allows authors to capture video stream from IP cameras in order to mix real images with computer generated graphics.

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Limitations of Remote Laboratories in Control Engineering Education

Cited by 18 publications

References 15 publications

When Virtual Becomes Better than Real: Investigating the Impact of a Networking Simulation on Learning and Motivation

When Virtual Becomes Better than Real: Investigating the Impact of a Networking Simulation on Learning and Motivation

Internet Accessible Remote Experimentation: Setting the Right Course of Action

Using Augmented Reality in Remote Laboratories

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