An Open Approach to Undergraduate Laboratories
Esche, S. K. & Hromin, D. J.
Enabling Engineering and Technology Education through Information Technology, Proceedings of the 2000 Fall Regional Conference of the Middle Atlantic Section of ASEE, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, November 3 - 4, 2000.
Abstract
This paper presents the development and implementation of an open student laboratory approach that is founded on the combination of traditional and Internet-based, remotely accessible experimental setups. In this approach, the students’ experimental experience can be greatly expanded by allowing them to remotely access the laboratory facility and connect through the Internet to the computer controlled laboratory setup of interest. Besides making the laboratories available to students at any time from anywhere, this open approach also serves as the basis for the affordable integration of laboratory experiences into lectures.
This approach has recently been implemented at Stevens into a laboratory that accompanies a sophomore-level course on dynamical systems. The discussion in this paper focuses on the integration of remote experimentation into the undergraduate learning environment and analyzes the advantages and shortcomings of such remote laboratories. The experimental setup of a mechanical vibration system is used to highlight the open laboratory approach.