Authors:
M. C. Levesley
1
;
P. Culmer
1
;
K. Page
1
;
J. Gallagher
1
;
A. P. H. Weightman
1
;
B. B. Bhakta
1
;
A. Tennant
1
and
P. Cripton
2
Affiliations:
1
University of Leeds, United Kingdom
;
2
University of British Columbia, Canada
Keyword(s):
e-Learning, Remotely Operated Experiments, Web-based Learning and Teaching Technologies.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Case-Studies and Applications
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
e-Learning
;
Game-Based and Simulation-Based Learning
;
Instructional Design
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Web-Based Education
;
Web-Based Teaching and Learning Technologies
Abstract:
A system to allow remote access to experimental equipment via the internet has been developed at the University of Leeds in the UK. This system, called ReLOAD (Real Labs Operated At a Distance), has been used to deliver laboratory sessions to over 200 undergraduate engineering students at the University of British Columbia, using laboratory equipment located at Leeds. The laboratory sessions were developed from well established face-to-face sessions used at the University of Leeds for many years. New equipment was built and a personalised experiment for each student was generated to ensure student’s learning objective remained the same but the data used to present the experimental problem varied. As part of the experiment, students were asked to determine the length of a vibrating beam from their experimental data. Using prizes for the closest answer to the measured length as an incentive, students were asked to record their calculated beam length, to assess their performance. A web-
based student feedback system was developed to provide anonymous feedback. Initial results are very encouraging, with students able to undertake remote experimentation with high levels of measurement precision and feedback suggesting the system easy to use. Further experiments and international collaborations are underway using ReLOAD.
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