Lindy Orwin

Joining the game and the experiment in peer-to-peer remote laboratories for STEM education

Remote Access Laboratories (RAL) provide access to experimental setups from remote locations. These experimental setups are composed of controller units programmed to gather data and interact with user inputs. A distributed version of RAL can be maker oriented i.e. the experiment rigs are designed by individuals and shared among each other. This paper presents the programming aspects and activity user interface (UI) design and organization of experiments in a distributed RAL aims at STEM education. The user interface must be interactive to increase engagement and motivation for the user. Being designed for school students, the environment to create the control logic of a rig created by the student needs to be on a homogenous platform. The programming language has to be easy to understand and use. Characteristics and requirements of a graphical programming language SNAP, which is modified and used as the programming platform for RAL, is studied in this paper.

Performance evaluation of network architectures for collaborative real-time learning systems

Online learning tools are commonly used for teaching distance education students in tertiary education. These tools rely on Internet connectivity, and network performance impacts on how these systems are used. Network performance is particularly relevant for interactive, real-time interactions such as video conferencing, online control and interactive games. Systems that host these learning systems are generally hosted in a central location, often where the institution is situated. This paper presents a study that compares the performance of such a central system with a system that uses peer-to-peer connectivity for real-time interactions between students. Using Australia as an example, the two architectures are simulated. Numerical results demonstrate the advantages of the peer to peer architecture in this context.

Action learning-based MOOC to enhance laboratory learning outcomes: Introducing the MELLO Project

Teaching in laboratories plays an integral role in education. This includes both proximal as well as remote laboratories. The MOOC for Enhancing Laboratory Learning Outcomes (MELLO) is designed to assist educators at all levels, from school to university, to improve the quality of laboratory experiences in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. Experienced educators seeking to review and revise current practices or beginning educators are all welcome to participate. This demonstration introduces the course and shows how two modes of participation are being supported. This covers both face-to-face as well as technology-mediated laboratories.

The game and activity environment of RALfie: Remote access laboratories for fun, innovation and education

Remote Access Laboratories are online platform for performing experiments from remote locations which are usually these systems focus on specific experiments and follow a centralised client-server paradigm. This demo will present organisation of experiments and activities in RALfie - Remote Access Laboratories for Fun, Innovation and Education which is a peer-to-peer remote access laboratory architecture. In this environment, participants both go through learning activities as well as make experiments. Learning activities on experiments are presented as a set of hierarchical groups of activities. The distributed design of environment allows more hands-on experience to build any experimental setup and provides opportunities to collaborate with fellow students. It allows for collaboration between the participants at various levels. The makers of an experiment may share it with some other participant to create an activity. Also there are multiple types of users to deal with different aspects of the system management.