2134/5346
Richard Blanchard
Richard
Blanchard
S.D. Moron-Garcia
S.D.
Moron-Garcia
Melanie Bates
Melanie
Bates
Converting the physical to the virtual: providing a laboratory experience for distance learners in engineering
Loughborough University
2009
Virtual laboratory
Active & interactive learning
Mechanical Engineering not elsewhere classified
2009-09-24 15:58:20
Conference contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/conference_contribution/Converting_the_physical_to_the_virtual_providing_a_laboratory_experience_for_distance_learners_in_engineering/9488306
Face-to-face modules on the full-time Masters in Renewable Energy Systems Technology at
Loughborough University involve students collecting data from physical laboratory experiments.
Conversion to distance learning mode, due to demand from industry for the skills and competencies
acquired, raised the problem of providing a comparable laboratory experience. The solution adopted
was to develop a number of virtual laboratories to enable distance students to experience the same
experiments as their face-to-face peers, the focus in both modes being on interpreting the data
generated. The virtual laboratory described in this paper was designed to provide activities requiring
students to review content covered in study notes, enhancing the learning associated with their progress
through the experiment. This paper will provide evidence to show that distance students were not
disadvantaged and that student evaluative feedback has been generally positive.