Real-time collaboration of virtual laboratories through the Internet

Abstract

Web-based learning environments are becoming increasingly popular in higher education. One of the most important web learning resources is the virtual laboratory (VL), which gives students an easy way for training and learning through the Internet. Moreover, on-line collaborative communication represents a practical method to transmit the knowledge and experience from the teacher to students overcoming physical distance and isolation. Considering these facts, the authors of this document have developed a new dynamic collaborative e-learning system which combines the main advantages of virtual laboratories and collaborative learning practices. In this system, the virtual laboratories are based on Java applets which have embedded simulations developed in Easy Java Simulations (EJS), an open-source tool for teachers who do not need complex programming skills. The collaborative e-learning is based on a real-time synchronized communication among these Java applets. Therefore, this original approach provides a new tool which integrates virtual laboratories inside a synchronous collaborative e-learning framework. This paper describes the main features of this system and its successful application in a distance education environment among different universities from Spain.

Vzdialené experimenty v edukácii

“…Keďže Java applet komunikuje priamo so systémom ISES, je nevyhnutné, aby priamo k počítaču, na ktorom beží web server a na ktorom je zároveň spustený príslušný Java applet, bol tiež pripojený systém. (Valková, 2007), (Jara, 2008) Obrázok 16 Klientská webová aplikácia VRE realizovaného prostredníctvom ISESu (Klientská webová aplikácia -Elektromagnetická indukcia, 2016) Systém ISES, napriek svojej montážnej jednoduchosti pri zostavovaní experimentu a prevádzkovej spoľahlivosti pri jeho používaní, vytvára na strane užívateľa aj obmedzenia. Sú to predovšetkým tieto:…”

Limitations of Remote Laboratories in Control Engineering Education

“…In the same way, conventional labs constitute an authentic arena for collaborative learning, in which students are engaged and interact with their peers as they work in groups in order to gain greater understanding or discover solutions to a myriad of problems. Today, collaborative learning environments focus mainly on theoretical lessons, and this feature is very limited or not supported by current remote labs [19]. Thus, replacing conventional hands-on labs with remote lab activities does not guaranty the development of aforementioned general competencies or collaborative learning competencies with the same level of effectiveness.…”

“…However, remote experimentation could be used to complement the traditional lab activities by providing more flexibility to traditional labs. This approach, referred to as "mixed lab", is currently used in several institutions [10], [19], where the essential laboratory learning experience is still facilitated by real hands-on activities that emphasize lab activities to develop skills, while more specific key concepts can be complemented using remote experimentation. The combination of in-situ and remote experimentations can define more flexible ways to carry out lab activities.…”

Ejs+ejsrl: A Free Java Tool for Advanced Robotics Simulation and Computer Vision Processing

“…In order to develop a simulation, the user only provides the most relevant core of the algorithm and EJS automatically generates all the Java code needed to create a complete interactive application. There are a lot of applications which have been developed with EJS for research and teaching activities (Jara et al, 2008;Jara et al, 2009).…”