Abstract
This paper presents a remote test workbench that was developed to support on-line assignments dealing with the IEEE 1149.1 standard test access port and boundary-scan architecture. The remote test controller is based on the DS80C400 networked microcontroller from Maxim-Dallas, which offers a very cost-effective solution to the development of micro-webservers enabling low complexity data acquisition and control tasks. All remote experiments are integrated into Moodle in exactly the same way as the remaining courseware that is made available to the students. The use of Moodle facilitates the implementation of collaborative learning activities based on the remote test workbench, and the development of the workbench itself is the subject of a collaborative learning project involving students from the universities of Porto in Portugal and South Australia at Adelaide.
Highlights
Remote laboratories, known under the name of on-line laboratories, remote workbenches, etc., found a widespread acceptance during the last decade [1:3]
Remote labs do not replace real labs, but they offer a range of benefits that can significantly improve pedagogical success: 1) they adapt to the pace of each student; 2) an experiment may be concluded from home, if the time available at the lab was not sufficient; 3) it can be repeated to clarify doubtful measurements obtained at the lab; 4) the student may improve the effectiveness of the time spent at the lab by rehearsing the experiment beforehand; 5) safety and security are improved, since there is no risk of catastrophic failures
This paper presents a remote workbench that supports a set of lab assignments belonging to a digital electronics test course
Summary
Known under the name of on-line laboratories, remote workbenches, etc., found a widespread acceptance during the last decade [1:3]. Remote labs do not replace real labs (they are not meant to), but they offer a range of benefits that can significantly improve pedagogical success: 1) they adapt to the pace of each student; 2) an experiment may be concluded from home, if the time available at the lab was not sufficient; 3) it can be repeated to clarify doubtful measurements obtained at the lab; 4) the student may improve the effectiveness of the time spent at the lab by rehearsing the experiment beforehand; 5) safety and security are improved, since there is no risk of catastrophic failures These and other reasons explain why remote labs captured the attention of the academic community, and originated much research and development effort in recent years.
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