Online (Remote) Teaching for Laboratory Based Courses Using “digital Twins” of the Experiments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabri Deniz ◽  
Ulf Christian Müller ◽  
Ivo Steiner ◽  
Thomas SERGI
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Momentum Equation ◽  
Teaching Online ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Diffuser Flow ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
University Of Applied Sciences ◽  
Pump Test

Abstract Covid-19 pandemic has introduced radical changes to the engineering education so that most of the teaching moved to the off-campus setting of online classes. However, conducting the laboratory classes, a fundamental part of engineering education has remained to be a challenge. To address to this situation, an ambitious approach is taken to re-establish the laboratory experience entirely online with the help of digital twins of the laboratory experiments. Laboratory based undergraduate courses are important parts of the curriculum at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU), Switzerland. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was necessary to adapt to the new environment of remote learning and modify the laboratory experiments so that they can be carried out online. The approach was to develop digital twins of each laboratory experiment with web applications and to provide an environment together with supporting videos and interactive problems so that the laboratory experiments can be carried out remotely. This paper explains the development of the digital twins of the laboratory experiments and provides information about the selected experiments such as potential vortex, linear momentum equation, diffuser flow, radial compressor, fuel cell, and pump test rig. A remote or distance learning has many hurdles, a major one being how to teach hands-on laboratory courses outside of an actual laboratory. The experience at the HSLU showed that teaching online laboratories using the digital twins of the experiments can work and the students can take part in remote laboratories that meet the learning objectives.

Online (Remote) Teaching for Laboratory Based Courses Using “Digital Twins” of the Experiments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabri Deniz ◽  
Ulf Christian Müller ◽  
Ivo Steiner ◽  
Thomas Sergi
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
Fluid Mechanics ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Digital Twin ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
University Of Applied Sciences

Abstract The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the university education, with most teaching moved off campus and students learning online or remote at home, but a cornerstone of undergraduate engineering education has been a big challenge, namely the laboratory classes. As the engineering and education communities continue to adapt to the realities of a global pandemic, it is important to recognize the importance of the laboratory-based courses. In order to address to this situation, an ambitious approach is taken to recreate the laboratory experience entirely online with the help of the digital twins of the fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and turbomachinery laboratory experiments. Laboratory based undergraduate courses such as EFPLAB1, EFPLAB2 (Energy; Fluid and Process Laboratory 1 & 2) and EFPENG (Energy; Fluid and Process Engineering) are important parts of the “mechanical engineering” and “energy systems engineering” curricula of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences (HSLU) in Switzerland. Each course mentioned above include six different laboratory experiments about fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, turbomachinery, energy efficiency, and energy systems, including mass- and energy flow balances in energy systems. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was necessary to adapt to the new environment of remote learning courses and modify the laboratory experiments so that they can be carried out online. The approach was developing digital twins of each laboratory experiment with web applications and providing an environment together with supporting videos and interactive problems so that the laboratory experiments can be carried out remotely. A digital twin is a digital representation of a physical system, e.g., the test rig. It may contain a collection of various digital models with related physical equations and solutions, information related to the operation of the test rig, including 2D or 3D models, process models, sensor data records, and documentation. Ideally, all quantities and attributes that could be measured or observed from the real experiment should be accessible from its digital twin. The digital twin not only reproduces the experimental setup in the laboratory but also helps to improve the knowledge related to the theory and concepts of the laboratory experiments. One major advantage of the digital twin is that the number and range of the parameters, which can be manipulated or varied, is larger in comparison to the actual testing in the laboratory. This paper explains the development of the digital twins (web applications) of the laboratory experiments and provides information about the selected experiments such as potential vortex, linear momentum equation, diffuser flow, radial compressor, fuel cell, and pump test rig with the measurement of pump characteristics. A remote or distance learning has many hurdles, one of the largest being how to teach hands-on laboratory courses outside of an actual laboratory. The experience at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences showed that teaching online labs using the digital twins of the laboratory experiments can work and the students can take part in remote laboratories that meet the learning outcomes and objectives as well as engage in scientific inquiry from a distance.

DEM Simulations in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering Education

2012 ◽  
pp. 100-109
Author(s):  
J. S. Vinod
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Granular Materials ◽  
Earthquake Engineering ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Computational Models ◽  
Cyclic Behavior ◽  
Advanced Mathematics ◽  
Loading Conditions ◽  
Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering ◽  
Element Method

Behaviour of geotechnical material is very complex. Most of the theoretical frame work to understand the behaviour of geotechnical materials under different loading conditions depends on the strong background of the basic civil engineering subjects and advanced mathematics. However, it is fact that the complete behaviour of geotechnical material cannot be traced within theoretical framework. Recently, computational models based on Finite Element Method (FEM) are used to understand the behaviour of geotechnical problems. FEM models are quite complex and is of little interest to undergraduate students. A simple computational tool developed using Discrete Element Method (DEM) to simulate the laboratory experiments will be cutting edge research for geotechnical earthquake engineering education. This article summarizes the potential of DEM to simulate the cyclic triaxial behaviour of granular materials under complex loading conditions. It is shown that DEM is capable of simulating the cyclic behavior of granular materials (e.g. undrained, liquefaction and post liquefaction) similar to the laboratory experiments.

Using the Social Web for Collaboration in Software Engineering Education

2010 ◽  
pp. 542-560
Author(s):  
Pankaj Kamthan
Keyword(s):  
Software Engineering ◽  
Engineering Education ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Academic Programs ◽  
Social Web ◽  
Educational Impact ◽  
Software Applications ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Software Engineering Education

Recent innovations in the computer and software industry have placed new demands on academic programs in software engineering. Over the past decade, the technological environment in which software engineering education (SEE) resides has been rapidly changing. To be able to design, develop, and evaluate software applications and systems, future software engineers have to learn to adopt new technologies and acquire new skills. This chapter examines the educational impact of Social Web applications in classroom activities pertaining to SEE. The feasibility issues of the selection and adoption of collaborative technologies and applications are emphasized, and the pedagogical patterns are discussed. The potential prospects of such an integration and related concerns are illustrated through examples.

The Role of Laboratory Experiments in Engineering Education

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alon Gany
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Design Problems ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Professional Career ◽  
Engineering Design Problems ◽  
Course Material ◽  
Advanced Stages ◽  
Research Students

The role of students experience in laboratory tests as a part of their engineering education is discussed. Nowadays, when computer simulations become an important tool in engineering design, problems solution, and research, students may loose the touch of real-world hardware and challenges. Hence, exposure to experimental work is very significant. It is proposed that at the advanced stages of the first degree studies, experiments related to specific courses will be incorporated as a part of the course material. It is also believed that in studies towards higher degrees, the combination of experimental research with theoretical modeling and analysis is an excellent introduction for the future professional career.

A LabVIEW-based remote laboratory experiments for control engineering education

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miladin Stefanovic ◽  
Vladimir Cvijetkovic ◽  
Milan Matijevic ◽  
Visnja Simic
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Remote Laboratory ◽  
Control Engineering

Presentation of Laboratory Experiments through Motion Picture Films

1966 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 723-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Walk
Keyword(s):  
Word Frequency ◽  
Motion Picture ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Random Order ◽  
Inexpensive Method ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Student Laboratory ◽  
Exposure Conditions

Two motion picture films for use in student laboratory courses are described. The film on the “span of attention” showed 4 to 13 black dots on a white field at two exposure intervals for 100 trials. The film on the influence of word frequency on perception presented 15 words in a random order with the ascending method of limits, more adequate exposure conditions on each successive exposure until each word had been shown three times. Results from use in laboratory sections are given for each film. The laboratory film is an inexpensive method of increasing the range and depth of materials available to the laboratory instructor.

scholarly journals REINFORCING LEARNING IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION BY ALTERNATING BETWEEN THEORY, SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTS

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M. Kurowski ◽  
Ralph O. Buchal
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Education ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Market Place ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Engineering Problems ◽  
Necessary Connections

Traditional engineering education has relied on teaching theoretical fundamentals, reinforced in some courses by laboratory experiments. However, for practical reasons experiments are limited in the scope, and many students fail to make the necessary connections between the theory and its applications. To bridge the gap between theory and applications we use the tools of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE). The hands-on use of simulation tools such as CAD, FEA or Motion Analysis helps students visualize and understand the application of theory to real engineering problems and allows students to model and simulate much more complex problems than are amenable to hand calculations. At the same time, the use of commercial simulation software provides students with skills that are in high demand in the market place.

Design and implementation of instructional videos for upper-division undergraduate laboratory courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 749-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Schmidt-McCormack ◽  
Marc N. Muniz ◽  
Ellie C. Keuter ◽  
Scott K. Shaw ◽  
Renée S. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Chemistry Laboratory ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Instructional Videos ◽  
Science Practices ◽  
Student Autonomy ◽  
Laboratory Courses ◽  
Physical Measurements ◽  
Undergraduate Laboratory ◽  
The Impact

Well-designed laboratories can help students master content and science practices by successfully completing the laboratory experiments. Upper-division chemistry laboratory courses often present special challenges for instruction due to the instrument intensive nature of the experiments. To address these challenges, particularly those associated with rotation style course structures, pre-laboratory videos were generated for two upper-division laboratory courses, Analytical Measurements and Physical Measurements. Sets of videos were developed for each experiment: a pre-laboratory lecture, an experimental, and a data analysis video. We describe the theoretical principles that guided the design of the instructional videos as well as the process. To assess the impact of the videos on students' successful completion of the experiments, a mixed-methods approach to data collection was used, which included video-recorded laboratory observations, student one-on-one interviews, and the Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Inventory (MLLI) survey. Our findings indicate that video-based resources can help alleviate some challenges associated with rotation-style labs, particularly the temporal disconnect between pre-laboratory lectures and experiment completion as well as the need for more student autonomy in upper-division laboratory courses.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document