DEVELOPMENT OF A FLEXIBLE REMOTE LABORATORY ENABLING AUTOMATIC ASSESSMENT

Abstract

In the last decade, performing experimentation over remote laboratory became possible. Therefore, pedagogical scheme must be adequate for this new situation. Otherwise, the whole system must be revised. This paper presents a new approach to develop a flexible remote laboratory. In fact, we elaborated a pedagogical scheme especially for remote experimentation. Besides, we developed an automatic assessment system to evaluate remote practical work experimentation for a large class. The proposed hardware setup including servers, measurement instruments, electronic circuits and the software architecture based on web development tools are illustrated. Moreover, we used Moodle LMS to embed pedagogical material for our system. A case study for remote experimentation is illustrated; students manipulate a resistance measurement workbench remotely. Results are carried out and discussed. The remote laboratory is accessible online from any connected PC. Different students can connect to the remote lab and performs experiment while receiving personal and appropriate results from the shared equipment. They can perform auto test with customized interfaces while accessing to the same platform. Implementation of this remote laboratory system is expected to contribute to improving efficiency and lowering the system’s costs in the case of large class.