Christian Pleul

Platform for e-Learning and Telemetric Experimentation (PeTEX). Tele-operated laboratories for production engineering education

The development of tele-operated experimentation and its provision to distance learners opens new dimensions of knowledge acquisition, particularly where experiments are the core elements of engineering education. The finalized EU-funded project PeTEX-Platform for e-Learning and Telemetric Experimentation has developed a prototype of an e-learning platform based on Moodle for the design and implementation of educational and training programs in the field of manufacturing engineering. The principle goal of this project was to establish individual and group oriented learning for different target groups like students and professional workers within a platform-system able to sustain a multi-country learning community. Hence, an educational model was designed which integrates the tele-operated experimentation platform with teaching content and learning activities in order to support a successful learning walkthrough for different target groups.

Development of a tele-operative testing cell as a remote lab for material characterization

Laboratory experiments play a significant role in engineering education. The experience gathered during the labs is one of the most important experiences during studying engineering because there is a strong connection between theory and practical relevance. A tele-operative testing cell for material characterization for forming processes is presented. This testing cell is used as a remote lab so that students can gain their experiences location and time-independent via the internet. In addition, the tele-operative testing cell is also used within the scope of lectures to combine the theory with live experiments in interaction with the students. The main aspects are, on the one hand, the developments in the field of engineering and the implementation of the IT components like iLab and, on the other hand, the integration of the tele-operative testing cell into engineering education.

PeTEX@Work: Designing CSCL@Work for Online Engineering Education

This chapter reflects on the finalized EU-funded project PeTEX-platform for e-Learning and Telemetric Experimentation aimed at designing and prototyping a CSCL platform-system for developing, implementing, and delivering educational and training programs in the field of manufacturing engineering. The main challenge for the PeTEX project team was to transform actual laboratory test beds, domain specific content and social interaction modes into a web-mediated socio-technical system in order to bring together learning and workplace as CSCL@Work. The designed learning system is based on Moodle and includes distributed tele-operated experimentation facilities, educational content and socio-technical affordances to provide the basis for an international large-scale online learning community. For this purpose the project team developed and established new collaborative learning approaches for students and professionals within the ICT-based system. This chapter gives an overview on the fundamental theoretical principles as well as important steps and results of the participatory design approach applied during the project’s lifetime. It concludes with a set of new tasks and challenges to be considered in future systems.

Experiential remote lab learning with e-portfolios: Integrating tele-operated experiments into environments for reflective learning

The use of laboratories in Higher Engineering Education is an adequate opportunity to implement forms of experiential learning like research-based learning in material sciences. Introducing remote laboratories gives the opportunity to the student to do self-directed research and by that having own and unique learning experiences. Recently finished research projects e.g. like the PeTEX project implemented research-based learning by deploying real laboratory equipment without being physically in the laboratory but having access via the internet. The question in this context is how the student can document his/her own learning processes on the one hand and how the teacher can guide the student through these processes on the other. The proposed solution in this paper is an e-portfolio system on the basis of a personal learning environment. With e-portfolios the student is able to individually and collectively document and reflect what he has been doing and can share his outcomes with others. The paper outlines the important role e-portfolios as personal learning environments can play to experience remote laboratory work and to foster the creative attitude.

Teaching and learning globally connected using live online classes for preparing international engineering students for transnational collaboration and for studying in Germany

Students who are leaving their home country for taking part in an international study program face several challenges. Not only the new course of studies can be very challenging but also their whole living conditions may change significantly. This can be a severe clash especially for students who are moving to a country with a totally different cultural background in comparison to their home countries. Moreover it can profoundly complicate the first weeks at the new university. Knowing about the difficulties the Institute of Forming Technology and Lightweight Construction (IUL) at TU Dortmund University in Germany developed a three-weeks preparational online course for those international students coming to the IUL for their Master of Science program in Manufacturing Technology (MMT), a special international master program. In context of this course the use of the IULs remote laboratory equipment was a key aspect. The course itself was implemented and delivered for the first time in 2014. It was designed to prepare the students as best as possible for their new studies at a German university and at the same time prepare them for transnational collaboration. Hence this course is a good example for a meaningful integration of remote laboratories into an innovative curriculum. Without this technology such course concepts with students distributed all over the world would not be possible. Making use if this technology brings the international course participants together and puts them into the situation to interact in context of a typical engineering situation, the experiment. The paper presents the course and experiences from its first implementation.

Bringing Remote Labs and Mobile Learning together

Within (remote) laboratories in Engineering Education students have the chance to do own experiments and by that gain own experiences in their learning processes. Apart from technical questions, one of the most intriguing aspects in this context is how students can document their learning process and show to others (teachers and/or other students) what they have achieved. Another aspect concerns the question of learner’s mobility during the learning process. If the laboratory can be accessed remotely, why do we constrain learners in their level of liberty by forcing them to sit in front of a fixed computer to use a location-independent environment for experimentation? Therefore, rendering this environment available for mobile devices is the logical consequence. Furthermore, integrating mobile devices into the course’s technical environment means to take a whole new approach to the teaching and learning process itself. It is especially a question of embedding mobile devices into the users’ workflow (or better “learn flow”) rather than a simple question of accessibility. The following article features an example of how remote laboratories can be linked with mobile devices and e-portfolios, thus creating a unique learning environment helping learners to document their personal learning processes and to exchange them with others while at the same time being flexible in means of time and place. This combination of topics has been realized within one subtask of the project “ELLI – Excellent Teaching and Learning in Engineering Education” at TU Dortmund University.

Entwicklung von Remote-Labs zum erfahrungsbasierten Lernen

In den Ingenieurwissenschaften bietet das Lernen in Laboren ein besonderes Potenzial zum Erwerb auch auserfachlicher Kompetenzen, das in der Regel jedoch kaum genutzt wird. Das Beispiel eines fernsteuerbaren Labors mit einer Lernumgebung, die unterschiedliche Lernpfade einbindet, zeigt, wie erfahrungsbasiertes Lernen in der Hochschule ermoglicht werden kann.

Integrating Remote Labs into Personal Learning Environments – Experiential Learning with Tele-Operated Experiments and E-Portfolios

The use of laboratories in Higher Engineering Education is an adequate opportunity to implement forms of experiential learning like problem-based or research-based learning into manufacturing technology. The introduction of remote laboratories gives students the opportunity to do self-directed research and by that having their own and unique learning experiences. Recently finished research projects, e.g. the PeTEX project, implemented research-based learning by deploying real laboratory equipment without being physically in the laboratory but by accessing it via the Internet. One essential question in this context is on the one hand how the student can document his/her own learning processes and how the teacher can guide the student through these processes on the other hand. The proposed solution in this paper is a personal learning environment that integrates a remote lab and an e-portfolio system. E-portfolios enable the student to individually and collectively document and reflect what he/she has been doing and to share his/her outcomes with others. The paper outlines the important role that e-portfolios can play as personal learning environments to experience remote laboratory work and to foster creative attitudes.

miniLABs – Focused Lab Sessions in Manufacturing Technology Related to Forming Processes

Laboratory experiments play a significant role in engineering education. The main concern of the described hands-on miniLABs initiative (as a work in progress) is lowering the hurdles in order to provide engineering students with an informal and straightforward access to experiments carried out in labs of the IUL at TU Dortmund University. miniLABs will offer students different, short and voluntary hands-on lab sessions, consisting of two different modes and different aspects related to manufacturing technology in the field of forming processes. In small teams, students can get in touch with practical engineering activities in the fields of present scientific research, either to study a certain phenomenon or to look at a wider engineering context. Based on the framework of experiential learning, miniLABs tries to foster the shift from teaching to deep learning. Finally, this initiative aims to inspire young students for real and hands-on engineering experiments and to contribute to the science education of these young and future engineers.

miniLABs drop in and become fascinated by engineering experiments

Laboratory experiments play a significant role in engineering education. The main concern of the described hands-on miniLABs initiative (as a work in progress) is lowering the hurdles in order to provide engineering students with an informal and straightforward access to experiments carried out in labs of the IUL at TU Dortmund University. miniLABs will offer students different, short and voluntary hands-on lab sessions, consisting of two different modes and different aspects related to manufacturing technology in the field of forming processes. In small teams, students can get in touch with practical engineering activities in the fields of present scientific research, either to study a certain phenomenon or to look at a wider engineering context. Based on the framework of experiential learning, miniLABs tries to foster the shift from teaching to deep learning. Finally, this initiative aims to inspire young students for real and hands-on engineering experiments and to contribute to the science education of these young and future engineers.