The Virtual Laboratory
The Virtual Laboratory concept originated nearly five years ago in order to enable large numbers of students to undertake laboratory exercises and use electronic systems hardware and software, without the need for physical access to the laboratories themselves.
The aim was to provide each student with everything that they would need so that they could take it away with them, and use it whenever and wherever they wanted to.
The first step in creating a Virtual Laboratory for any specific assignment or course is to identify the student’s needs in specific technology areas. The second step is the mass production of the hardware required in batches from 30 to 120. Sometimes this is undertaken by the students themselves when it forms part of the assessment, other times it is produced by the technicians.
The aim has been that all the students should have access to the same equipment and software in order to provide a level base on which to set assignments. Most exercises are taken by all students at the same time as this reduces the opportunity for passing on solutions from one group to another. The sophistication of the equipment enables new or amended assignments to be easily set from session to session, further limiting the opportunities for copying from one cohort of students to another. Wherever possible assignments are tailored uniquely to each student using data such as student ID barcodes or university registration numbers or in one case even their own photograph. This further reduces the possibility of copying and improves the likelihood of detection if copying is attempted.
Evaluation
The normal student evaluation at the end of each course has been used to obtain a general overview, supplemented by an additional student evaluation specific to the revised, updated, enhanced or new material that has been developed as a result of this project. The marked assignments produced by students were reviewed to determine any improvement or deterioration.
For example, the results of assignments were checked to determine if there was any evidence that they have been made too difficult compared with previous years. All the evidence provides confirmation that this approach is significantly enhancing students’ ability to undertake these practical assignment activities.
New hardware is evaluated by the team before it is mass produced for distribution to students, to determine its robustness, cost and reliability. In addition, documentation is continuously reviewed to ensure that it is up-to-date and matches the hardware and software used.
A paper was presented at the 2005–06 School Research Conference that described the work that has been undertaken as part of the Virtual Laboratory concept.
Impact
Improvements have been identified in student academic performance particularly in the quality and sophistication of their assignment solutions, as well as in their motivation. This has been mostly evident in final year electrical and electronic engineering student projects. An added benefit has been to train the students to operate in a manner similar to that of industry, of having to identify the problem they are trying to solve, understanding the equipment and facilities available and then implementing a working solution.
Lessons learned
The Virtual Laboratory project has been successful in all areas and has enabled the concept to be developed and implemented in a much wider context. The benefits of increased student engagement and practical experience have been achieved and students are starting to exploit their increased knowledge over a much wider technical area. This is particularly visible in final year projects which have noticeably increased in sophistication in the hardware used. The students’ software solutions still have some progress to make, but the greater availability of the C compiler for the PIC microprocessor should assist with this.
The concept has become visible outside the student experience and is being promoted as an example of good practice within the School. The project has progressed almost exactly according to expectation. There have been problems with the administration of the distribution, collection and subsequent maintenance of the equipment. Some hardware has been broken or not returned every time it has been distributed to a cohort, and a yearly replacement policy has become necessary in order to maintain stocks.
When developing new technology areas, it seems typically to be taking three years to identify what is required, source and then implement it, and finally distribute it to the large numbers of students involved.
The future
In the coming academic years the focus will be on maximising the benefits obtained from existing hardware and software, and maintaining the equipment in good working order. This will particularly apply to ensuring that software compatibility is maintained and that the hardware can be interfaced using USB, as many new laptops no longer have the 9-pin D type serial connector.
Existing printed circuit boards continue to be enhanced and news ones designed. In the 2005–06 academic year there have been improvements in the soldering practice for printed circuit boards (PCBs) which now incorporates a self-test capability, in the DCDC converter to enable proper connections for measuring input and output power and in the Flywheel power storage system for improved efficiency calculations. A completely new PCB has been introduced that provides an ultrasonic RADAR system for students to become involved in signal processing of real data using Matlab.
The image above (right) illustrates the first prototype of the ultrasonic RADAR system which was assembled from pre-existing PCBs for wireless communication link, the embedded web server, plus a purchased ultrasonic rangefinder module and a standard model servo motor. This has now been refined into a plug-in PCB for the embedded web server to create a simple two PCB system.
Due to the de-semesterisation process implemented for the 2005–06 academic year, a number of new opportunities have become apparent where the Virtual Laboratory concept can be usefully deployed.
One potential application is the use of a single assignment activity as an integrating process across two, or possibly more, different courses. In addition, three new MSc programmes started in September 2005 and each one requires new material, new hardware and new software to be developed. These are still being designed and implemented.
Dr R C Seals