Measuring Online Engineering Laboratory Satisfaction During COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Abstract : The idea of remote/virtual laboratories is still limited in Engineering due to the nature of engineering applications, equipment, and the competencies students are expected to gain as future engineers. Once COVID-19 hit, there was no time to think, review, and study how educational institutions can integrate remote/distance learning laboratories into their curriculum. Universities in our country and the rest of educational institutions around the globe rushed to find solutions to make sure students still get the best learning experience and gain the core concepts as expected. Many had to make instant decisions and purchase software, simulators, and/or record technical experiments and share them with students. In many majors, this wasn't an issue and there were many resources accessible to students that required minimal direction from educators. However, for engineering majors, simulators are not available for all labs and even if they are available, educational institutions are required to provide them to students with suitable documentation and usage instructions. In addition, recording a demonstration for experiments doesn't provide students with the handson experience they are aiming for. Adopt and learn was the main theme during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is what our department did to guarantee a quality lab experience for its students and later communicate valuable feedback to achieve the best level of learning. This paper focused on getting an insight into the lab experience for students in Digital Communications and Analog Communications laboratories during the COVID pandemic. Measuring the satisfaction level of students' experience was via conducting surveys with a focus on three main skills which are: hands-on experience, teamwork, and communication skills. Keywords: Engineering Education; Online Laboratories; COVID-19; Electrical Engineering.