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Online Teaching in Universities in Developing Countries
Published in Kaushik Kumar, Engineering Pedagogy Towards Outcome-Based Education, 2023
Virtual laboratory is an online computational tool that simulates a given scenario and provides results. Virtual laboratory is applicable to all disciplines, such as art, literature, science, business and engineering. In engineering, virtual laboratories are program codes that enable students to interact with virtual machines, test different parameters and view results. The main goal of the virtual laboratory is to enable student to perform experiments when they are not physically present in location of the equipment [18, 19]. It is suitable for courses that have a practical component and are offered online. The Covid-19 pandemic changed the aspect of learning in most universities, which are now adopting online learning, and most are piloting the use of virtual laboratory [20].
Recent advances in the use of remote labs in fluid mechanics
Published in Ataur Rahman, Vojislav Ilic, Blended Learning in Engineering Education, 2018
Virtual laboratory can be used when the laboratory equipment is too expensive or unavailable or the experimental procedure is not safe (Hercog et al., 2007). One of the most important features of the virtual laboratory is the non-destructive nature of an experiment; for example, a student can learn from his/her failure without any damage to the instrument involved. According to the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), learning from failure is one of the nine important aspects of engineering education. Virtual laboratory allows the teachers and students to perform a large number of experiments using the same system and does not limit the number of simultaneous users. It may be very difficult to change some of the parameters of the experiment in a real laboratory, but it can easily be done in a virtual laboratory. A simulation study before the real experiment in the hands-on laboratory allows the students to have a deeper understanding of experimental procedure and the corresponding theory (Ma and Nickerson, 2006). Virtual laboratory involves different software like LabVIEW, MATLAB/Simulink, ANSYS, Java Applet and Flash, which enable simulation of a real laboratory experiment. However, creating a 3D dynamic model of a complex experimental setup may be difficult as well as time consuming in a simulation software system. This is also dependent on the processing capability of computers.
An e-Laboratory Designed to Enhance Learning Opportunities through Experience
Published in Sarah Morton, Designing Interventions to Address Complex Societal Issues, 2023
Virtual Laboratories may be used as an online alternative to physical laboratories. The virtual laboratory is an interactive environment for creating and conducting simulated experiments (Larbi-Apau, 2020). The simulation embodies some model aspect of the world, for example weather patterns, and allows the user to make inputs to the model, ‘run’ the model, and display the result (Laurillard, 1994). These simulations become powerful virtual environments that imitate the real world and have the potential to help learners understand scientific concepts (Blake and Scanlon, 2007). Simulation allows students to interact with a computer-based simplified world where changing experimental parameters permit observation of resulting phenomena. However, as interaction with a simulated world is managed through the computers’ interface devices, the learning event does not duplicate the tactile ‘hands-on’, on-campus, active experimentation. The absence of an opportunity to physically interact, using tactile senses, with the materials and devices used in active-experimentation deprives learners who create knowledge through the transformation of experience. This hinders the connection between the learner and real-world devices. During simulation, real-world entities are seen only as symbols, as flat, two-dimensional, graphical representations. So, whilst, a simulated world may enhance reflective learning, it does not, however, provide the authenticity inherent in traditional, campus-based, laboratory experiences. Computer simulations that mimic laboratory procedures have the potential to be a useful supplement to student hands-on activities, but not a substitute for them (ACS, 2020). For the purposes of the design-led intervention planned as part of this research, virtual laboratories were considered unsuitable as they lacked authenticity. Further, they are, costly, complex, and demanding of tutor time allocation. Critically, virtual laboratories do not provide a user-focused solution.
Performance assessment of a ductless personalized ventilation system using a validated CFD model
Published in Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 2018
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of applied mathematics that solves problems of fluid flows using numerical simulations (Kuzmin 2010). CFD is a powerful research tool that has been utilized in indoor air distribution research since the 1970s (Nielsen 2015). It allows conducting ‘virtual experiments’ in a ‘virtual laboratory’ which is more convenient, faster, and cheaper than empirical studies (Kuzmin n.d.). Before conducting CFD simulations, it is necessary to validate the numerical model against measured data. ASHRAE handbook states that Validation provides ‘instructions on how to demonstrate the coupled ability of a user and a CFD code to accurately conduct representative indoor environmental simulations with available experimental data against measured data’ (ASHRAE 2009).
A survey of good practice in control education
Published in European Journal of Engineering Education, 2018
J. A. Rossiter, B. Pasik-Duncan, Sebastian Dormido, Ljubo Vlacic, Bryn Jones, Richard Murray
Remote experimentation for engineering education can be considered a mature technology (widely implemented) (Ma and Nickerson 2006; RELOAD 2010; Qiao et al. 2012). It enables access to real hardware and thus an authentic learning experience outside of the classroom timetable and without requiring physical attendance at a particular location. A simulated or virtual laboratory provides an authentic representation of, or interaction with, a real scenario, whereas a remote laboratory gives access to and control of actual equipment (Dormido 2004). However, the process of transforming a classic control experiment into an interactive web-based laboratory is not yet an easy task (Vargas et al. 2011), or indeed an art form which has established norms, as will be summarised in this section.