Linking a Lab on Prototyping for Engineering Students With Its ‘Digital Learning Environment Twin’

Abstract

The restricted timeslots for the use of labs and the availability of resources are often the cause of delayed student projects. This paper describes the transition of an existing lab on prototyping for engineering students from the analogue world into a digitized learning environment that can be used 24/7. This includes all aspects starting from general safety instructions and ending with detailed information and examples on how to use the machinery. Through this transition, the students gain more flexibility in their planning and work in a more agile manner. In addition, with the digitization of the "creative prototyping" lab, the quality of instructions given to the students and the documentation have changed in a positive way. The framework for the digital learning environment twin is provided through the Moodle platform. It is complemented by the e-portfolio software Mahara for the project documentation needed for the test course on project-based product design used to evaluate its digitization. The "digital learning environment twin" combined with Mahara provides a fully digital assessment of the course and provides a positive experience for students and lecturers.