scholarly journals Diffraction Testbed for Use in Remote Teaching

Optics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-258
Author(s):  
Javier Gamo
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Basic Tool ◽  
Virtual Lab ◽  
Circular Slit ◽  
Diffraction Phenomenon ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Self Learning ◽  
Carlos Iii

The need for remote teaching tools in all education levels has experienced a big increase due to COVID-19 pandemic. Laboratory practical sessions have not been an exception, and many online and offline tools have been made available to respond to the lockdown of teaching facilities. This paper presents a software testbed named OPTILAB for teaching diffraction experiments to engineering students. The software simulates classical diffraction apertures (single slit, double slit, circular slit) under a wide variety of conditions. Explanation about the Physics behind the diffraction phenomenon is also included in OPTILAB to increase the students’ self-learning experience. Originally conceived as a complement to on-site teaching, due to COVID-19 pandemic OPTILAB has been adopted as the basic tool to build a brand-new, virtual laboratory session about diffraction in Physics III course (biomedical engineering) at Carlos III University of Madrid. Results obtained by the students taking this virtual lab during Fall 2020 are presented and discussed.

A 3D, Interactive Virtual Instruction Laboratory and a Virtual Model of a Reactor Control Room

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ye Li ◽  
Imran Haddish ◽  
Xuefeng Zhu ◽  
Yoshinori Satoh ◽  
Rizwan Uddin
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Nuclear Engineering ◽  
Operator Training ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
Virtual Instruction ◽  
Virtual Lab

Efficient and effective education and training of nuclear engineering students, nuclear reactor operators, their supervisors, and other personnel are critical for the safe operation and maintenance of any nuclear reactor, whether for research or commercial power generation. Radiation and reactor laboratories are a very important part of such training. Recent increase in the student population in nuclear engineering programs has put strains on laboratory resources. This increase in student population, constraints on resources and qualitative improvements in gaming technology have led researchers in the field of radiological and nuclear engineering to explore virtual, game-like models to provide the needed experience [1–3]. Though virtual lab experience may never completely replace an actual physical lab experience in educational institutions, in some ways virtual labs may provide a better experience than limited cookbook style executions in a physical lab or reactor operator training course. We have earlier reported our initial efforts toward the development of a generic virtual and interactive laboratory environment [3]. This virtual lab presents a fully immersive learning experience. We here report the specifics of a radiation lab in which half-life and shielding experiments can be conducted, and simulation-based real-physics data can be gathered.

scholarly journals A Support Tool for Teaching Grafcet: Engineering Students’ Perceptions

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celina P. Lea˜o ◽  
Filomena O. Soares ◽  
Jose´ Machado ◽  
P. B. de Moura Oliveira ◽  
J. Boaventura Cunha
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Discrete Event Systems ◽  
Finite Automata ◽  
Discrete Event ◽  
Good Choice ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Support Tool ◽  
Self Learning

Modeling discrete event systems with sequential behavior can be a very hard and complex task. Some formalisms are used in this context, such as: Petri Nets, Statecharts, Finite automata, Grafcet and others. Among these, Grafcet seems to be a good choice because it is easy: to learn, to understand and to use. Teaching Grafcet is then relevant within engineering courses concerned with Industrial Automation. A virtual laboratory, e-GRAFCET, developed and first tested in UTAD University; it is a new, easy-to-use multimedia e-educational tool to support the self-learning process of Grafcet. This paper, reports a study of e-GRAFCET use by the students of University of Minho. A questionnaire was prepared and students asked to fulfill it in a volunteer basis. The results were statistically analyzed and the scores compared. The overall objective is to understand how the tool helps students in their study, and consequently improve their learning off Grafcet, independently of their engineering background.

CAD Platform Independent Software for Automatic Grading of Technical Drawings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanchit Ingale ◽  
Anirudh Srinivasan ◽  
Diana Bairaktarova
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Students ◽  
Spatial Reasoning ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Spatial Visualization ◽  
First Year ◽  
Spatial Skills ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Pedagogical Tool ◽  
Students Success ◽  
Mechanical Objects

Spatial visualization is the ability of an individual to imagine an object mentally and understand its spatial orientation. There have been multiple works proving that spatial visualization skills can be improved with an appropriate training. Such training warrant a critical place in the undergraduate engineering curricula in many engineering schools as spatial skills are considered vital for students’ success in the technical and design fields [1–4]. Enhanced spatial skills help not only professionals in the engineering field but also everyone in the 21st century environment. Drawing sectional views requires mental manipulation and visual thinking. To enhance students spatial reasoning, one of the authors of this study, conducted a class in spatial visualization. The course-learning goal aimed at improving first-year engineering students’ spatial reasoning through instruction on freehand drawings of sectional view. During the semester, two teaching assistants had to grade more than 500 assignments that consisted of sectional views of mechanical objects. This was a tedious and a time consuming task. Motivated by this experience, this paper proposes a software aiming at automating grading of students’ sectional view drawings. The proposed software will also give live feedback to students while they are working on the drawings. This interactive tool aims to 1) improve the learning experience of first year students, with limited CAD knowledge, and 2) introduce a pedagogical tool that can enhance spatial visualization training.

scholarly journals Transformative Learning Experience for Incoming Freshmen Engineering Students Through Robotics Research

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baha Jassemnejad ◽  
Wei Pee ◽  
Kevin Rada ◽  
Montell Wright ◽  
Kaitlin Foran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Incoming Freshmen

scholarly journals GLOBAL CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY IN ONLINE LEARNING ON SUSTAINABLE CITIES

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Ibrahim ◽  
Allison Van Beek
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Sustainable Cities ◽  
Diverse Classroom ◽  
Design Learning ◽  
Global Classroom

A new learning opportunity among civil engineering students is learning about urbanization in cities, which combines the sub-disciplines of civil engineering in a seamlessly interdisciplinary manner.  One of the greatest benefits of learning about a global phenomenon such as urbanization is introducing the opportunities to offer examples of the technological, cultural and social diversity surrounding the evolution of urban design, technologies and sustainable strategies from global cities. The ability to have a globally diverse classroom to bring in these perspectives and create a learning experience that captures this information sharing and exchange can be created through course design, learning activities, and assessments, hence the “global classroom.”  The authors present a case study of the global classroom for the online course “Sustainable Cities: Adding an African Perspective” and share their perspective on learner-driven formats that support the global classroom, which hinges upon students’ own interest and commitment to an online learning format.  

scholarly journals A virtual lab model for an introductory computer science course

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ioanna Kantzavelou
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Abstract Concepts ◽  
Specific Topic ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Introductory Computer Science ◽  
Virtual Lab ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Partial Implementation

This paper presents a model of a virtual laboratory for an introductory computer science course. The proposed model aims at solving a number of problems involved in the educational procedure of such a course. The model architecture consists of seven modules, each one corresponds to a specific topic of the course. Every module provides several different services in order to assist students to assimilate theory with practical exercises. Preliminary results of partial implementation of the proposed model, show the solution of some problems and better understanding of abstract concepts.

scholarly journals Students’ Conceptions of Academic Success: Themes, Guiding Lines and Contradictions

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-101
Author(s):  
S.V. Yaroshevskaya ◽  
T.A. Sysoeva
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Self Development ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Self Learning ◽  
Academic Year ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
The Continuum

Academic success is a popular topic of psychological and pedagogical studies, but such studies usually emphasize factors that affect academic success or variables associated with it.What constitutes academic success remains an open question if at all posited.Researchers tend to use simplified operationalizations, mainly the academic performance, and ignore the students’ point of view.The purpose of this study is to clarify students’ perceptions of academic success.A qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews about learning experience was conducted.The study involved 20 students from various Moscow universities who completed their first academic year (aged 17—42).The technique of reflective thematic analysis was applied.Main themes are the following: “Performance” (learning is considered successful if grades are high and there are no academic troubles), “Knowledge” (learning is successful if the curriculum is being assimilated, or professional knowledge increasing, of one’s horizons are expanding), “Sense of self” (learning is considered successful if there is interest in studying, enthusiasm, as well as internal comfort and/or self-development).Themes are arranged in a sequence, moving from external criteria to internal ones.A number of contradictions are found in the informants’ perceptions of success.In the continuum of themes, different understandings of success are attributed to different instances (university, profession, life activities, Self) and allow us to see the diversity and inconsistency of higher education meanings that explain the observed paradoxes.

scholarly journals KAJIAN PENGGUNAAN LABORATORIUM VIRTUAL BERBASIS SIMULASI SEBAGAI UPAYA MENGATASI KETIDAK-SEDIAAN LABORATORIUM

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-330
Author(s):  
Rina Mirdayanti ◽  
Murni
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Practical Work ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Research Use ◽  
Laboratory Equipment ◽  
The Real ◽  
Is Research ◽  
Virtual Lab ◽  
Basic Physics ◽  
The Right

The ability to use practical tools for students is a must in the basic Physics practical courses. In fact often happens is not adequate for laboratory tersediannya the implementation of practical, so that the process of teaching being constrained. To like the other problems like this needed a media device such as a software-based virtual lab simulations that can be used in the teaching of basic physics. This research aims to analyze the exact effort that can be done to overcome the lack of sedian laboratory equipment. This type of research is research use approach to the study of literature. The expected results of this literature is the emergence of an understanding of basic physics lab course in conducting with virtual laboratory as a means to address the issue of sedian in the real Labs. This virtual lab so that it can be the right solution for students and teachers in carrying out practical work.   Abstrak Kemampuan menggunakan alat-alat praktikum bagi siswa merupakan suatu keharusan dalam mata pelajaran Fisika Dasar. Pada kenyataannya yang sering terjadi adalah tidak tersediannya laboratorium yang memadai untuk pelaksanaan praktikum, sehingga proses praktikum menjadi terkendala. Untuk mensiasati permasalahan seperti ini dibutuhkan sebuah media seperti perangkat software laboratorium virtual berbasis simulasi yang bisa digunakan dalam praktikum  fisika dasar. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis upaya yang tepat yang dapat dilakukan untuk mengatasi ketidak-sedian  peralatan  laboratorium. Jenis penelitian yang gunakan adalah penelitian dengan pendekatan studi literatur. Hasil yang diharapkan dari literatur ini adalah munculnya pemahaman dalam melaksanakan praktikum fisika dasar dengan laboratorium virtual sebagai sarana untuk mengatasi persoalan ketidak-sedian laboratorium secara nyata. Sehingga laboratorium virtual ini dapat menjadi solusi yang tepat bagi siswa dan guru dalam melaksanakan praktikum. Kata kunci: Praktikum, Ilmu Sains, Laboratorium Virtual, Pemahaman Konsep

Low-Cost Virtual Laboratory Workbench for Electronic Engineering

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Ifeyinwa E. Achumba ◽  
Djamel Azzi ◽  
James Stocker
Keyword(s):  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Virtual Laboratory ◽  
Electronic Engineering ◽  
Virtual Lab ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Virtual Laboratories ◽  
Laboratory Component ◽  
Undergraduate Engineering Education ◽  
Laboratory Experiences

The laboratory component of undergraduate engineering education poses challenges in resource constrained engineering faculties. The cost, time, space and physical presence requirements of the traditional (real) laboratory approach are the contributory factors. These resource constraints may mitigate the acquisition of meaningful laboratory experiences by students, which is especially true in developing countries. Virtual laboratories can be used to complement the traditional laboratory to enhance students’ laboratory experience. In extreme cases of lack of resources, the virtual lab can be used as an alternative laboratory . Although some research on the implementation of virtual laboratories has occurred, more efforts are required because of the diverse experiential needs and requirements of the engineering curriculum. This paper presents a low-cost, web-based virtual laboratory workbench for use as part of undergraduate electronic engineering courses. Some distinguishing features of the virtual workbench are that students can undertake curriculum-based laboratory activities in a realistic manner; it integrates a Bayesian Network-based assessment structure for the assessment of students’ performance; and it affords the instructor flexibility in designing laboratory exercises.

Engineering Students’ Motivation to Learn Technical English in ESP Courses: Investigating Iranian Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions

RELC Journal ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-226
Author(s):  
Saeedeh Jafari Pazoki ◽  
Minoo Alemi
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Needs Analysis ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Motivation To Learn ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Motivation For Learning

Needs analysis is the key step to designing relevant and useful courses in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), but finding ways to deliver needs in a motivating and interesting way is also paramount. Therefore, investigating students’ motivation to learn ESP is central in needs analysis. Few studies have investigated needs from the perspective of ESP learners’ motivation. Focussing on engineering fields at three Iranian state universities, this study aimed to identify factors that affect engineering students’ motivation for learning technical English in ESP courses. Using a mixed method design, this study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, semi-structured interviews with 40 undergraduate students helped to identify motivational variables, select a theoretical framework and develop instruments for the second phase. In the second phase, a survey using a 28-item questionnaire with 152 students, semi-structured interviews with 60 students, in-depth interviews with eight ESP practitioners and non-participant observation in seven ESP classes were done in parallel. Principal Component Analysis on survey data resulted in five motivational components of main sources of engineering students’ motivation to learn technical English: 1) ideal-self, 2) ought-to self, 3) instrumentality promotion motivation, 4) learning conditions, and 5) learning experience. These components were in agreement with Dӧrnyei’s L2 Motivational Self-system. Further quantitative and qualitative data analyses revealed that long-term goals and the practicalities of using technical English in every day life promote motivation more than a sense of obligation to learn technical English. Moreover, the results showed that Engineering students had negative attitudes towards elements of ESP learning experience, which best explained the reasons for students’ low motivation. The findings also supported the significant effect of academic levels on motivation. The factors that motivated students call for modifications in ESP courses which are discussed as pedagogical implications.

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