Hands On Distance Learning Laboratory Course Using Internet Video Tools

Meehan, K., Quesenberry, J., Hendricks, R., Olinger, J., Doolittle, P., Clark, R. and Diomedi II, K. (2010) Hands On Distance Learning Laboratory Course Using Internet Video Tools. In: 2010 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition, Louisville, KY, USA, 14--17 June 2010,

Abstract

Since 2004, the Virginia Tech Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has required a circuits laboratory course to accompany the circuits lecture course in its BSEE and BSCpE curricula. A unique feature of this course is that the students conduct much of their work using set of equipment, known as Lab-in-a-Box (LiaB), outside of a traditional classroom environment. To support the needs of the incoming transfer students and students engaged in co-op and internship programs, we decided to develop a distance learning hands-on laboratory course, an opportunity that is possible due to the flexible platform offered by LiaB. Lectures on each experiment and other supplemental learning materials have been developed, used in the on-campus course during Spring 2010, and converted to Powerpoint slides with embedded audio for use in the on-line course. A key component to the on-campus laboratory course is regular one-on-one interactions between each student and the course instructor or graduate teaching assistant (GTA). Hence, ‘face-to-face’ communication was immediately identified as a critical requirement for the success of the on-line laboratory course, where practical instructional support via real-time demonstrations of measurement techniques and methods to debug circuits is provided. In addition, we decided to maintain an element of the current on-campus course in which each student must demonstrate the circuit’s operation to the GTA at the end of each laboratory experiment. Three software packages that would enable the needed video interaction were evaluated: Saba Centra, currently used at Virginia Tech for our distance learning courses; Adobe Connect Pro, a web conferencing and eLearning software package; and Skype, a voice- and video-over-internet program. While Adobe Connect Pro offered the most complete platform of the three programs evaluate, the quality of the video and voice transmission achieved using Skype was equal in performance and was the less expensive option. Two video capture devices were tested – the built-in webcam on an Apple Macbook Pro and the Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000. The external video camera allowed images of the circuit on the breadboard and video of the student performing measurements using the digital multimeter or oscilloscope to be easily collected. The distance learning hands-on circuits laboratory course using these tools will be offered in Summer 2010.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Meehan, Professor Kathleen
• Authors: Meehan, K., Quesenberry, J., Hendricks, R., Olinger, J., Doolittle, P., Clark, R., and Diomedi II, K.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering