e-Lab: An electronic classroom for real-time distance delivery of a laboratory course

Journal of Engineering Education, Oct 2001 by Gurocak, Hakan

ABSTRACT

The Internet continues to demonstrate its versatility as a learning tool in the realm of higher education. As courses in everything from art history to engineering are offered on the Internet, we are experiencing a transition from traditional textbook and lecture teaching method to the virtual classroom. Yet, effective distance delivery of engineering laboratory courses remains a challenging problem. This paper introduces a new approach to deliver a senior-level laboratory course at a distance in real-time. The enabling technology is the combination of an interactive TV system and the Internet. The paper presents details of the laboratory setup and five sessions. Data collected for the past two years are analyzed statistically to assess student learning and achievement of learning objectives ofeach laboratory. Results of the analysis as well as surveys indicate that the e-Lab created an effective learning environment.

I. INTRODUCTION

In recent years, the Internet has changed from being an "information superhighway" to a mega-strip mall, selling assorted wares-books, vacations, toys, and more. Yet, there is still the notion that the Internet remains a medium for delivering information. Since the Internet shines brightest as a conduit for structured content delivery, ideally suited for course curricula, it is no surprise that the nation's universities and colleges are rushing to deliver their distance education courses, and even complete degree programs, over the Internet.

Distance education has traditionally been popular among nontraditional students who are place-bound working adults, such as engineers, who want to upgrade their skills and keep current in a world of ever-changing technology. As more colleges and universities are moving rapidly to offer Web-based courses and programs, distance education is becoming increasingly more visible as a part of the higher education family.' According to International Data Corp. (IDC), approximately 54 percent of four-year schools already had some form of distance-learning program in place in 1998, with almost 70 percent planning to implement distance learning by the end of 1999. And many schools have provided remote learning-via closed-circuit TV and the like-for years. The IDC's research estimates that 85 percent of two-year colleges will offer distance learning courses by 2002, compared to 58 percent in 1998. In addition, four-year colleges and universities that offer distance education courses will jump to 84 percent in 2002. As courses in everything from art history to engineering are offered on the Internet, we are experiencing a transition from traditional textbook and lecture teaching method to the virtual classroom where students and the instructor are not necessarily at the same physical location. Yet, effective distance delivery of engineering laboratory courses remains a challenging problem to be solved.

This paper presents a new approach for distance delivery of a Manufacturing Automation laboratory course and assessment of student learning after offering of the course twice. The enabling technology is the combination of an interactive TV system and the Internet. The interactive TV system, controlled by operators at each location, establishes real time audio/video connection between remote classrooms and a local classroom that are hundreds of miles apart. The "e-Lab" is set up in the local classroom by connecting automation hardware and robots to the Internet. During a laboratory session, students at the remote sites join in the class with the help of the TV system. They can control and program the hardware in the e-Lab over the Internet in real time while watching and hearing it in action through the TV system. The system also facilitates interaction of students across different sites and with the instructor.

11. THE CHALLENGE OF SHARING COURSES

ATA MULTI-CAMPUS UNIVERSITY

Washington State University (WSU) has four campuses (Figure 1). The main campus is located in Pullman, Washington. The newest branch campus, about 300 miles away from Pullman, is in Vancouver, Washington. The campus serves southwest Washington and the greater Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. All campuses are linked by an interactive TV system called WHETS. The system facilitates real time, two-way audio/video interaction among campuses that are hundreds of miles apart from each other. Using this system, campuses can share courses. In Fall 1997, a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering degree program was introduced on the Vancouver campus. The curriculum for the program is very similar to that of the Mechanical Engineering programs at the Pullman and Tri-Cities campuses. Therefore, we have been sharing courses among these campuses. Since Fall 1998, the Manufacturing Engineering degree program is also being offered to Boeing Company employees in the Seattle area via WHETS by linking to a similar system (BEN) at Boeing. Using live video and audio to deliver lectures at a distance is a mature technology at WSU and other institutions. However, the curriculum also contains laboratory courses, making it quite challenging to deliver the entire degree program to the Boeing students.