is experimentation feasible at moocs?

Is experimentation feasible at MOOCs?

Manuel Castro

Felix Garcia-LoroProf. Dr. Manuel Castro, http://www.slideshare.net/mmmcastro/

Electronics Technology Professor, UNED, Madrid, SPAIN

IEEE Fellow, Sr Past President, IEEE Education Society

Experiment

What is a remote lab?

• A remote laboratory is a tool which combines

software and hardware to allow students to access to

real equipment, instruments and components

remotely through the Internet

• The main advantage of remote labs, when compared

with traditional laboratories, lies in its availability

that has neither temporal nor geographical

restrictions

• Main disadvantage are maintenance and 100%

availability

What is VISIR?

• Virtual Instruments System In Reality

• VISIR is a remote laboratory for wiring and measuring

electronics circuits on a breadboard remotely

• VISIR allows real measurements on physical equipment

• The equipment is controlled by LabVIEW server

software

• The wiring mechanism is developed by means of a

relay switching matrix connected to a PCI eXtensions

for Instrumentation (PXI)

What is not VISIR?

• VISIR is not a simulation software or a virtual lab;

there is a physical limitation since it does not allow

an indeterminate number of concurrent users

• VISIR is not a lab to carry out any type of

experiment; for example, destructive experiments are

not allowed because all experiments must be reusable

• VISIR is not an instructor; The measurement server

acts as an instructor to avoid hazard circuits but

does not provide any “formative” feedback about the

designed circuit

User Interface?

http://www.ieec.uned.es/


User Interface



UNED-COMA

• UNED-COMA platform is an Open-UNED initiative,

aimed at the deployment of MOOCs from different

Departments and Teaching Teams of UNED

• UNED-COMA platform explodes the rich experience in

distance education of UNED educational system

• Badge, Credential (paying) and Certificate (paying +

in-person exam)

• Curator (UNED-COMA) & Facilitator (teaching staff)

• Access is completely open and free

BCEP MOOC

• Circuits Fundamentals and Applied Electronics (“Bases

de Circuitos y Electrónica Práctica”, BCEP)

• The core of the MOOC is the remote laboratory

VISIR

• Critical analysis point: Scalability; VISIR into a

massive environment

• The acquisition of the competences in analyzing

circuits is not a goal, however it is necessary

BCEP goals

• To provide access to anyone interested

• To test VISIR remote laboratory performance under a

high demand scenario

• To analyze “consumers’” profile <<students interested

in this kind of courses and their needs to complete

satisfactorily the course>>

• To evaluate UNED-COMA platform and its

adaptability for electronics and practical-based courses

BCEP modules

• Module I: Simulation

• Module II: Remote laboratory (VISIR): equipment &

instruments

• Module III: Working with resistors

• Module IV: RLC circuits

• Module V: Working with diodes

• Module VI: Filters

• Module VII: Zener diode

• Module VIII: Operational amplifier

request muestra1

Gráfico de Dispersión

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VISIR physical limitations

Furthermore, for an optimal immersion, the number of

concurrent users should not exceed 25 to obtain an adequate

response time in continuous measuring (for occasional measures

this factor is not critical)

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VISIR

VISIR

remote

laboratory

VISIR

allows

concurren

t users

…and

VISIR is a

real lab

But… real

labs have

physical

constraints

MOOC Massive

open online course

Massivevs

Physicalconstraints

…but…

• It is very unlikely that all connected users perform

measurements simultaneously; The laboratory time is

necessary specially for the circuit assembly and for

configuring the equipment much more than for

measuring

• In addition, MOOCs show a high dropout rate; So,

delaying VISIR onset, the number of accesses is

limited to those students who are really interested

and motivated

Booking system

• Initial settings:

• 2 simultaneous turns booked (variable)

• 16 turns per course (variable)

• 60 minutes per turn (fixed)

• 16 concurrent users (variable); up to 384 turns

every day

Enrollments and dropout

Acceses to components

Students’ judgement

Platform conclusions

• New activities/tasks are required

• UNED-COMA platform allows access to any module

without any restriction, this feature destroys

scaffolding

• Users were anonymous for VISIR due to the way the

interaction between the remote lab and the MOOC

platform is carried out

• …A new MOOC platform is required

Course conclusions

• Practices designed were easy for those students who

had a previous training in electronics, but complex for

those who didn’t

• About the activities, students agreed that both, the

activities they have had to carry out in VISIR and

the activities derived from them, were long

• VISIR and practical contents have been inadequate to

help students to take advantage of VISIR;Theoretical

contents have been revealed necessary: BCEP-MOOC

requires a redesign

• Students are interested in practical courses

VISIR conclusions

• Remote laboratory VISIR has shown the ability to

perform its activity satisfactorily in massive

environments

• VISIR remote lab have been an attraction for

students’ enrollment

• Students’ opinion about VISIR reliability and

performance have been really positive

Is experimentation feasible at MOOCs?

Manuel Castro

Felix Garcia-LoroProf. Dr. Manuel Castro, http://www.slideshare.net/mmmcastro/

Electronics Technology Professor, UNED, Madrid, SPAIN

IEEE Fellow, Sr Past President, IEEE Education Society

The end

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