Potential of ICTs and pedagogical approaches to improve remote laboratory

• Autores: Radhi Mhiri, Maarouf Saad, Moustapha Dodo Amadou, Vahe´ Nerguizian
• Localización: The International journal of engineering education, ISSN-e 0949-149X, Vol. 30, no. 5, 2014, págs. 1130-1135
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • The online laboratory or Lab At Distance (LAD) is an interesting tool in training systems and can also provide enrichment for theconventional laboratory. The literature shows that in LAD development projects, the biggest concern is centred on thetechnological prowess and technical solutions developed. In general, learning improvement achieved through these activities is notconsidered. In this paper, we discuss the experience of developing enriched LAD by emphasizing the pedagogical approach. Visitinga Web site for an industrial application related to laboratory work allows contextualization of this work and gives more meaningto the work to be completed. The student is then led to discover a problem derived from an industrial reality described by imagesand videos from a virtual tour. Additional video and image resources are also used to explore the laboratory equipment used andprovide additional valuable learning. We also present the experience of developing a set of LAD according to our pedagogicalapproach. LAD are developed by the school of engineering, E ́cole de Technologie Supe ́rieure (E ́TS), in Montreal and three colleges(CEGEP) in Quebec. From this experience, the paper highlights both the technical and pedagogical strengths. The different choicesadopted for LAD are discussed and a preliminary assessment of the operation of this set of LAD is also presented. Our experienceshows the feasibility of sharing LAD between the four institutions. This solution provides an interesting way for optimising theoperation of equipment and reducing investment, thus promoting the acquisition of new equipment to be up to date with changesin technology. The operation of these LADs shows that the use of ICT gives extra depth to the LAD by associating it withauthentic applications and presenting the work required as a real problem to be dealt with. Our experience shows that thispedagogical approach makes more sense for work, promotes student motivation, provides access to the industrial reality and bringsthe learning process beyond the limits of conventional laboratory work.