Learning management systems: coupled simulations and assessments in a digital systems course

Purpose – The content, provided in learning management systems (LMS), is often text oriented as in a usual textbook, extended by some animations and links. Hands on activities and experiments are not possible. The paper aims to give an overview about the concept to couple smart simulation and assessment tools with an LMS to provide a more explorative approach to the learning content. Design/methodology/approach – Interactive components, such as smart design tools and online laboratories are added to an LMS that allow exploring the learned content additionally to text parts interactively. The objective of this teaching concept is to empower the students to solve complex design tasks for digital systems and to validate the results. This requires on the one hand site knowledge about the mathematical background of the algorithms used by design tools, and on the other hand, experience from as much as possible examples. Commercial tools are too complex for teaching purposes and hide mostly the algorithms they use for the several design steps. That is why we have developed smart special tailored tools for each single design step that should be learned during a lesson. Findings – These smart tools are very useful to support the process of understanding and learning by doing. Learners can explore the several design steps with own examples and get immediately feedback about the correct solutions. Practical implications – The connection to an LMS allows us to record all students’ relevant actions in the design process and to evaluate the student or to give individual tailored hints. Originality/value – The paper introduces a new teaching concept that allows exploring the learned content interactively additionally to text parts

E-learning in engineering studies - experience of the Ilmenau University of Technology

The integration of e-learning elements and eassessments in the learning and teaching scenarios is more than 10 years standard at the TU Ilmenau. This concerns in particular the engineering studies. The used materials and tools are developed in the past at different faculties and thus very heterogeneous in relation to technology, usage scenarios, and content. The pilot project “Basic Engineering School” provides opportunities for the further integration and development of the educational technologies used. This article describes approaches and methods to the further developments well as first experiences

Reusable assessment modules

This paper describes a Web-based Test, Examination and Assessment system that can be used via the Internet. It is therefore suitable for both local and remote examination preparation as well as examination within a lab course (entry test). This solution is also intended for the use in lectures dealing with the design of complex digital control systems within the newly created European Master Degree Program “Remote Engineering”. Actual Learning Management Systems (LMS) include mainly tools for authoring multiple choice or cloze questions and the like and use very simple assessment mechanisms. We also describe Web-based scenarios to assess higher levels of knowledge

An adaptation model for personalized e-assessments

Over the last decade, a large number of eassessment system and tools were developed. However, they all provide assessments that are characterized by a static structure (ordered sequence of questions, predefined start and ending, etc.). This approach does not consider students individual knowledge or characteristics. Instead, each student has to answer the same questions. The work presented in this paper focuses on a personalized e-assessment system (askMe!) that not only identifies, but also supports and even compensates deficits in students’ individual learning by considering students’ strengths and preferences. In this paper, the core, the adaptation model of the system is presented that defines what can be adapted, as well as when and how it is to be adapted

Digitale Technologien bei der Gestaltung des BASIC-Lehrkonzeptes

In der Ingenieurausbildung kommt es insbesondere darauf an, Grundlagenwissen in Verbindung mit kreativen Handlungen zu lehren und dadurch bei den Studierenden Kompetenzen zu entwickeln, die für ein forschungsorientiertes ingenieurtechnisches Denken und Handeln erforderlich sind. [....] Seit 2011 wird im Projekt "BASIC-Engineering School" untersucht, inwieweit sich digitale Technologien als ein wesentlicher Ansatz zur Integration problemorientierter und aktivierender Lehrformate einsetzen lassen. Ziel ist es, dass Curricula, Lehrkultur und Lehrgestaltung für die Ausbildung von Ingenieuren so angepasst und ergänzt werden, dass die Studierenden von Studienbeginn an Erfahrungen mit den sich aktuell entwickelnden neuen Technologien und Arbeitsweisen in ingenieurtypischen Arbeitsfeldern sammeln können. Damit soll auch den neuen Herausforderungen an Flexibilität und Agilität in der Gestaltung der Lern- und Beratungsangebote der Hochschule, die sich aus der Internationalisierung und Öffnung der Hochschulen für Quereinsteiger ergeben, durch personalisierte Lehrangebote mithilfe digitaler Technologien Rechnung getragen werden. Wesentliche Ergebnisse des BASIC-Projektes (Petzoldt et al., 2017) in Bezug auf die Nutzung digitaler Technologien werden in diesem Beitrag dargestellt. Hervorgehoben werden dabei das Portfolio der digitalen Unterstützungverschiedener MINT-Fächer sowie Ansätze für die Verstetigung und den Transfer des Lehrkonzeptes auf große Studierendengruppen. (DIPF/Orig.

A mixed-reality environment for digital control systems

Learning the design of control systems requires not only deep theoretical but also practical experience that can be get in laboratory work. Goal of the projects "JGIFT" and "FIPS" - created by members of the Institute of Theoretical and Technical Computer Science of the Technical University of Ilmenau - is to examine and implement new techniques for a development and training system based on Finite State Machines (FSM). In our contribution we would like to present means and methods required for providing this tool set web wide for a large user base and independent from the operating system

Rapid prototyping modules for remote engineering applications

This contribution describes a concept for an integration of microcontroller- and FPGA-based Rapid Prototyping modules into a Remote Lab system and its implementation. The implementation enables a Web-based access to control electro-mechanical models. The electromechanical models can be controlled by different platforms (microcontroller or FPGA-based) Students have the possibility to test a designed control algorithm directly within a hardware environment by uploading a source file to the Remote Lab server. That way the students can compare architectures of different control-platforms as well as different design approaches to control electro-mechanical models. The paper starts with an introduction into the design process and describes the tool set, which is provided to the students. After that the different platforms and their integration in the Web-server are introduced. Finally we would like to give examples of such complex design tasks and show, how the students can use different tools during several design steps

Integration of remote and virtual laboratories in the educational process

This paper describes a new holistic approach to integrate remote and virtual laboratories in the educational process. Aim of the integration is to test students’ knowledge not only on lower levels as usual multiple choice tests and the like are doing, but also on higher-order thinking skills. Based on these tests the students should get a detailed feedback about their strengths, weaknesses or mis-conceptions. Therefore Learning Analytics methods are applied to a database, storing learning activities of the students during their online work- phase in the educational process. The paper discusses the actual approach as well as the architecture of a prototype implementation

Integration of remote and virtual laboratories in the educational process

This paper describes a new holistic approach to integrate remote and virtual laboratories in the educational process. Aim of the integration is to test students’ knowledge not only on lower levels as usual multiple choice tests and the like are doing, but also on higher-order thinking skills. Based on these tests the students should get a detailed feedback about their strengths, weaknesses or mis-conceptions. Therefore Learning Analytics methods are applied to a database, storing learning activities of the students during their online work- phase in the educational process. The paper discusses the actual approach as well as the architecture of a prototype implementation