Genuine lab experiences for students in resource constrained environments: The RealLab with integrated intelligent assessment.

Laboratory activities are indispensable for developing engineering skills. Computer Aided Learning (CAL) tools can be used to enhance laboratory learning in various ways, the latest approach being the virtual laboratory technique that emulates traditional laboratory processes. This new approach makes it possible to give students complete and genuine laboratory experiences in situations constrained by limited resources in the provision of laboratory facilities and infrastructure and/or where there is need for laboratory education, for large classes, with only one laboratory stand. This may especially be the case in countries in transition. Most existing virtual laboratories are not available for purchase. Where they are, they may not be cost friendly for resource constrained environments. Also, most do not integrate any form of assessment structure. In this paper, we present a very cost friendly virtual laboratory solution for genuine laboratory experiences in resource constrained environments, with integrated intelligent assessment

To enhance collaborative learning and practice network knowledge with a virtualization laboratory and online synchronous discussion

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internatinal License.Recently, various computer networking courses have included additional laboratory classes in order to enhance students' learning achievement. However, these classes need to establish a suitable laboratory where each student can connect network devices to configure and test functions within different network topologies. In this case, the Linux operating system can be used to operate network devices and the virtualization technique can include multiple OSs for supporting a significant number of students. In previous research, the virtualization application was successfully applied in a laboratory, but focused only on individual assignments. The present study extends previous research by designing the Networking Virtualization-Based Laboratory (NVBLab), which requires collaborative learning among the experimental students. The students were divided into an experimental group and a control group for the experiment. The experimental group performed their laboratory assignments using NVBLab, whereas the control group completed them on virtual machines (VMs) that were installed on their personal computers. Moreover, students using NVBLab were provided with an online synchronous discussion (OSD) feature that enabled them to communicate with others. The laboratory assignments were divided into two parts: Basic Labs and Advanced Labs. The results show that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in two Advanced Labs and the post-test after Advanced Labs. Furthermore, the experimental group's activities were better than those of the control group based on the total average of the command count per laboratory. Finally, the findings of the interviews and questionnaires with the experimental group reveal that NVBLab was helpful during and after laboratory class

Dynamic modelling of hexarot parallel mechanisms for design and development

In this research, the kinematics, dynamics, and general closed-form dynamic formulation of the centrifugal high-G hexarot-based manipulators have been developed through the different mathematical modeling techniques. The vibrations of the mechanism have also been investigated

Systematic review of research on artificial intelligence applications in higher education – where are the educators?

According to various international reports, Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) is one of the currently emerging fields in educational technology. Whilst it has been around for about 30 years, it is still unclear for educators how to make pedagogical advantage of it on a broader scale, and how it can actually impact meaningfully on teaching and learning in higher education. This paper seeks to provide an overview of research on AI applications in higher education through a systematic review. Out of 2656 initially identified publications for the period between 2007 and 2018, 146 articles were included for final synthesis, according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. The descriptive results show that most of the disciplines involved in AIEd papers come from Computer Science and STEM, and that quantitative methods were the most frequently used in empirical studies. The synthesis of results presents four areas of AIEd applications in academic support services, and institutional and administrative services: 1. profiling and prediction, 2. assessment and evaluation, 3. adaptive systems and personalisation, and 4. intelligent tutoring systems. The conclusions reflect on the almost lack of critical reflection of challenges and risks of AIEd, the weak connection to theoretical pedagogical perspectives, and the need for further exploration of ethical and educational approaches in the application of AIEd in higher education

LABORATORIOS VIRTUALES INTEGRADOS CON TECNOLOGÍA GRID PARA LA UNIVERSIDAD DE LA AMAZONIA

La combinación de los entornos de e-learning, laboratorios virtuales (LVs) y tecnologías Grid, ofrece una poderosa herramienta que mantiene y mejora la calidad del aprendizaje. Se presenta un trabajo de investigación en donde se analizan y sistematizan diferentes proyectos que utilizan LVs y adicionalmente los que integran tecnologías Grid, describiendo arquitecturas, ventajas y beneficios que aportan su utilización en diferentes escenarios académicos y científicos. Entre ellos se incluye la física, matemática, eléctrica, electrónica, ingeniería, educación a distancia, ecología, medio ambiente, educación para personas especiales, medicina y química. Para finalmente mostrar unas conclusiones orientadas al tema

Intelligent performance assessment in a virtual electronic laboratory

Laboratory work, in the undergraduate engineering course, is aimed at enhancing students’ understanding of taught concepts and integrating theory and practice. This demands that laboratory work is synchronised with lectures in order to maximise its derivable learning outcomes, measurable through assessment. The typical high costs of raditional engineering laboratory, which often militates against its increased use and the synchronisation of laboratory and lectures, have, in addition to other factors, catalysed the increased adoption of virtual laboratories as a complement to the traditional engineering laboratory. In extreme cases, virtual laboratories could serve as alternative means of providing, albeit simulated, meaningful practical experiences. A Virtual Electronic Laboratory (VEL), which can be used to undertake a range of undergraduate electronic engineering curriculum-based laboratory activities, in a realistic manner, has been implemented as part of the work presented in this thesis. The VEL incorporates a Bayesian Network (BN)-based model for the performance assessment of students’ laboratory work in the VEL. Detailed descriptions of the VEL and the assessment model are given. The evaluation of the entire system is in two phases: evaluation of the VEL as a tool for facilitating students’ deeper understanding of fundamental engineering concepts taught in lectures; and evaluation of the assessment model within the context of the VEL environment. The VEL is evaluated at two different engineering faculties, in two separate universities. Results from the evaluation of the VEL show the effectiveness of the VEL to enhance students’ learning, in the light of appropriate learning scenarios, and provide evidence and support for the use of virtual laboratories in the engineering educational context. Performance data, extracted from students’ behaviour logs (captured and recorded during the evaluation of the VEL) are used to evaluate the assessment model. Results of the evaluation demonstrate the effectiveness of the model as an assessment tool, and the practicability of the performance assessment of students’ laboratory work from their observed behaviour in a virtual learning environment.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Real Time Implementation of Incremental Fuzzy Logic Controller for Gas Pipeline Corrosion Control

A robust virtual instrumentation based fuzzy incremental corrosion controller is presented to protect metallic gas pipelines. Controller output depends on error and change in error of the controlled variable. For corrosion control purpose pipe to soil potential is considered as process variable. The proposed fuzzy incremental controller is designed using a very simple control rule base and the most natural and unbiased membership functions. The proposed scheme is tested for a wide range of pipe to soil potential control. Performance comparison between the conventional proportional integral type and proposed fuzzy incremental controller is made in terms of several performance criteria such as peak overshoot, settling time, and rise time. Result shows that the proposed controller outperforms its conventional counterpart in each case. Designed controller can be taken in automode without waiting for initial polarization to stabilize. Initial startup curve of proportional integral controller and fuzzy incremental controller is reported. This controller can be used to protect any metallic structures such as pipelines, tanks, concrete structures, ship, and offshore structures

Internet-based monitoring and controlling of real-time dynamic systems

The study in this report mainly focuses on the Internet-based Monitoring and Controlling of a Real-Time Dynamic System interfaced via a dedicated local computer. The main philosophy behind this study is to allow the remote user to conduct an Internet-based Remote Operation (I-bRO) for the dynamic system. The dynamic system has been defined as the system which has its parts interrelated in such a way that a change in one part necessarily affects other parts of the system [I]. In order to achieve this goal, the study has been conducted in a form of an on-line and real-time Virtual Laboratory (VL). Through this form of laboratory, a user can carry out the experiment, perform real-time monitoring and controlling operations of the experiment and collect real and live data from the experiment through the network link as the user was physically in the laboratory. The dynamic system that has been selected for the test-rig of this study is a 3-phase Induction Motor (IM) which is mechanically coupled with a DC-Dynamometer that acts as a variable load to the IM. This system is a common laboratory experiment in the study of the Electrical Engineering for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The study covers both sides of the I-bRO; the hardware and the software. The hardware side includes the design and the development of a load control box that has been used to interface the DC-Dynamometer and consequently control it from the local computer. The software side covers the design and the development of the Virtual Instrumentation System (VIS) that has replaced successfully the physical Measurement and Test (M&T) instruments of the test-rig. Beside that, the software side includes the development of the internet remote front panel for the remote operation.Furthermore, the software side includes the development of the software that has been used to analyse the system during the I-bRO. In this study, the LabVTEW7 program has been used to design and develop the VIS and the Matlab program has bee used to aualyse the system performance for the remote operations. This study also addresses the issues and problems related to the intranet or the internet to be used as the network for data communication between the test-rig and remote users. This study has been carried out in different stages as follows: 1. Designing and development of the VIS. 2. Interfacing the test-rig apparatus with a local computer. 3. Upload the system from the local computer to the network. 4. Study the performance of the system on the network for the purpose of the remote operations controlled over the internet. The developed system of this study has been used for data acquisition, network communications, instruments monitoring and controlling applications. A user can execute on-line and in the real-time the developed VIS from any point in the university. Due to the fact that the university network is directly integrated to the main internet server. a remote user through the main internet server is able to perform I-bRO of the selected dynamic system. There are many factors associated with the network, the internet or the intranet, and have direct influences on the control system performance throughout the remote operations. The most dominant factors are the random time-delays and the data losses.These factors among others have to be addressed for a proper application of the I-bRO. For this reason, different cases and scenarios of the I-bRO have been investigated and simulated to study the affection of the network on the control system performance. The system is analysed under two control cases, closed loop with random time-delays and open loop when the internet server is disconnected and no communication between the input and the output of the system. In the first case, the closed loop, the internet server is assumed to be closed and subjected to random time-delays. In the second case, the internet server is subjected to random cut-off and thus opens the control loop. The results of both cases have been analysed and discussed. It has been found that, if the control system without the time-delays is stable, it remains stable even with small time-delays up to twenty seconds. This result is different from what has been shown in the literature