Frantisek Lustig

An Easy-to-Build Remote Laboratory with Data Transfer Using the Internet School Experimental System.

The present state of information communication technology makes it possible to devise and run computer-based e-laboratories accessible to any user with a connection to the Internet, equipped with very simple technical means and making full use of web services. Thus, the way is open for a new strategy of physics education with strongly global features, based on experiment and experimentation. We name this strategy integrated e-learning, and remote experiments across the Internet are the foundation for this strategy. We present both pedagogical and technical reasoning for the remote experiments and outline a simple system based on a server–client approach, and on web services and Java applets. We give here an outline of the prospective remote laboratory system with data transfer using the Internet School Experimental System (ISES) as hardware and ISES WEB Control kit as software. This approach enables the simple construction of remote experiments without building any hardware and virtually no programming, using a paste and copy approach with typical prebuilt blocks such as a camera view, controls, graphs, displays, etc. We have set up and operate at present seven experiments, running round the clock, with more than 12 000 connections since 2005. The experiments are widely used in practical teaching of both university and secondary level physics. The recording of the detailed steps the experimentor takes during the measurement enables detailed study of the psychological aspects of running the experiments. The system is ready for a network of universities to start covering the basic set of physics experiments. In conclusion we summarize the results achieved and experiences of using remote experiments built on the ISES hardware system.

Remote and open laboratory in science education — Technological, educational and psychological issues

This paper will describe how a scientifically exact and problem-solving-oriented remote and virtual science experimental environment might help to build a new strategy for science education. The main features of the new strategy are (1) the remote observations and control of real world phenomena, possibly materialized in data, their processing and evaluation, (2) verification of hypotheses combined with the development of critical thinking, supported by (3) sophisticated relevant information search, classification and storing tools and (4) collaborative environment, supporting argumentative writing and teamwork. Remote and Open Laboratory has been developed and used by Charles University in Prague since 1996, offered to science students and teachers since 2003.

A New Virtual and Remote Experimental Environment for Teaching and Learning Science

This paper describes how a scientifically exact and problem-solving-oriented remote and virtual science experimental environment might help to build a new strategy for science education. The main features are: the remote observations and control of real world phenomena, their processing and evaluation, verification of hypotheses combined with the development of critical thinking, supported by sophisticated relevant information search, classification and storing tools and collaborative environment, supporting argumentative writing and teamwork, public presentations and defense of achieved results, all either in real presence, in telepresence or in combination of both. Only then real understanding of generalized science laws and their consequences can be developed. This science learning and teaching environment (called ROL - Remote and Open Laboratory), has been developed and used by Charles University in Prague since 1996, offered to science students in both formal and informal learning, and also to science teachers within their professional development studies, since 2003.

New e-learning environments for teaching and learning Science

Online learning is developing along the lines of integrated learning and combining multiple approaches; but until now, it has very rarely included virtual and remote experimental environments to form a unified body of information and knowledge.

Poster: “Radiation Remote Laboratory” with Two Level Diagnostics

The paper describes the remote experiment “Radiation Remote Laboratory” with two levels diagnostic system, built on ISES - Internet School Experimental System, accessible across the Internet and provided via the system REMLABNET (http://www.remlabnet.eu/). The remote experiment strives to provide the basic knowledge on γ radioactivity and/or γ radiation and its basic application laws, and parameters like its Poisson distribution, intensity dependence on distance from the point source and provides basic ideas about its absorption in various materials. Absorption in Cu on thickness of the Cu material is possible to examine in detail. Besides, this experiment serves to develop the basic knowledge for handling the radioactive materials in education and practice.

“Hands-on-Remote” Laboratories

The contribution brings a new solution for remote laboratories. Benefits and effectiveness of hands-on, virtual, and remote labs have been discussed for decades. We have been developing professional and DIY real remote labs for 15 years. Despite our efforts, real remote experiments are unfortunately not so easily feasible as traditional hands-on ones. Experimenting at schools split into three isolated approaches: traditional hands-on labs (including PC-aided experiments), virtual experiments (also simulations, applets), and remote experiments. Recently, some effort to integrate these approaches has appeared (e.g. integrated e-learning strategy) although the integration with hands-on experiments is still missing. This state can be explained by high complexity of remote labs and the other limits (budget, availability of HW and SW solution, etc.). Our aim is to show that real remote labs can be easily performed as traditional hands-on labs, and they can be created with both professional equipment and cheap hardware components like Arduino. The goal is an introduction of a new experiment type “hands-on-remote” that is simultaneously hands-on and remotely controlled without need for further modifications. Students themselves may create such experiment or just observe the setup prepared by their teacher, and even operate it remotely by their mobile devices (BYOD). Students may access the experiment from the classroom, school building, and perhaps from their homes after school. Examples of remote labs based both on professional measurement system iSES and Arduino-Uno platform will be presented. Beginners need only an Arduino Uno board with sensors, our freely downloadable “Remduino Lab SDK”.