Trial with a remote laboratory in telecommunications engineering

Laboratory teaching in engineering is seen as a fundamental part of the undergraduate engineering learning experience. Objectives of laboratory teaching are manifold. Perhaps, the main objective is to demonstrate to the student how theoretical models can (or cannot) predict real world behavior. This gives the student a deeper insight into the subject and contributes to his/her deep learning experience. One way of reaching at least partly the objectives of laboratories is to use remote laboratories. This implies that the students, the teacher(s) and the laboratory equipment need not be present at the same place or time. Many todaýs advanced instruments used in electrical engineering either are controlled through a computer or have networking capabilities. They lend themselves therefore well for remote operation. This study explores the educational benefits and shortcomings of the implementation of remote learning activity. The effectiveness of the learning activity was measured against the course learning outcomes; the student-teacher interaction and students' conception of accessibility and freedom. Furthermore, the learning taking place was assessed. In this paper this experiment is described and the students' reaction to it. Furthermore, methods devised to overcome some of the shortcomings of remote laboratories are described.