Abstract
ICT-enabled virtual and remote labs have become a platform augmenting user engagement in blended education scenarios enhancing University education in rural India. A novel trend is the use of remote laboratories as learning and teaching tools in classrooms and elsewhere. This paper reports case studies based on our deployment of 20 web-based virtual labs with more than 170+ online experiments in Biotechnology and Biomedical engineering discipline with content for undergraduate and postgraduate education. Via hands-on workshops and direct feedback using questionnaires, we studied the role of remote lab experiments as learning and teaching tools. Although less reliable than direct feedback, we also included online feedback to perceive blended and remote learning styles among various users. Student and teacher user groups suggested significant usage adaptability of experimental process and indicated usage of remote labs as supplementary tools for complementing laboratory education. Usage analysis implicated the role of online labs as interactive textbooks augmenting student interaction and positive correlates to learning.
Highlights
Laboratory-based courses have a vital role in both engineering and scientific education [1]
85% of them suggested that the online performance of the experiment was satisfactory throughout the lab hours. 92% students supported the control of remote experiments and equipment was sufficient for them to understand the concepts. 88% students indicated that they could interpret results of the experiments. 90% of them supported remote labs as a complementary tool for practicing real labs and equipment based studies. 80% of the students indicated that they could run the remote experiments without any interpretations (Figure 6) while 20% (# 30) faced issues in
Data collected from the participants of workshops on remote labs were used to determine the user behavior trends in using remote labs. 80% of students and 85% of teachers indicated the online performance of the experiments in remote labs as excellent for achieving the needs of the university education. 85% of students and 75% of teachers supported they could control the remote equipment from a distant place without the help of an instructor. 75% students and 80% teachers indicated Remote labs as a useful material in supporting science education
Summary
Laboratory-based courses have a vital role in both engineering and scientific education [1]. A remote laboratory is a hybrid approach that provides emulated or internet-based access to the experimental setup [6]. Remote experiments allow users to access real scientific data, controlling the experiment from a distant location [7]. This has been reported to kindle curiosity among student users by providing an opportunity to learn concepts and practice scientific aspects through remote experimentation [8]. Content-rich remote labs have enabled an active role in personalizing learning behavior among students, thereby creating a novel learning pedagogy with minimum forced involvement during classroom lectures [9]. Studies have reported extended usage of ICT for education had aided modeling a collaborative teaching scenario reducing some of the problems faced in a traditional classroom environment [10]
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