Mauricio Duque

A multi-user remote academic laboratory system

This article describes the development, implementation and preliminary operation assessment of Multiuser Network Architecture to integrate a number of Remote Academic Laboratories for educational purposes on automatic control. Through the Internet, real processes or physical experiments conducted at the control engineering laboratories of four universities are remotely operated. Through an internet connection to the Manager Administration Server, a remote experiment to design and test a modeling and control algorithm can be performed. The suggested Network Architecture is based on the Singlet-Server model and uses a database server to record important information that helps create a new remote experiment, including a Graphical User Interface (Applet) developed with Easy Java Simulation, which allows the simple integration of new processes to the Manager Administrator. Results of a real-physical-process remote manipulation through the proposed network architecture are presented as well as results of an academic pilot test conducted to measure functional aspects related to the operation of the remote system when carrying out remote-laboratory work.

Active Learning session based on Didactical Engineering framework for conceptual change in students’ equilibrium and stability understanding

ABSTRACT Engineering students on control courses lack a deep understanding of equilibrium and stability that are crucial concepts in this discipline. Several studies have shown that students find it difficult to understand simple familiar or academic static equilibrium cases as well as dynamic ones from mechanics even if they know the discipline’s criteria and formulae. Our aim is to study the impact of a specific and innovative classroom session, containing well-chosen situations that address students’ misconceptions. We propose an example of Active Learning experiment based both on the Didactical Engineering methodology and the Conceptual Fields Theory that aims at promoting a conceptual change in students. The chosen methodology allows, at the same time, a proper design of the student learning activities, an accurate monitoring of the students’ rational use during the tasks and provides an internal tool for the evaluation of the session’s efficiency. Although the expected starting conceptual change was detected, it would require another activity in order to be reinforced.

Taller en docencia

la facultad de ingenieria promueve la participacion de sus estudiantes en una actividad pedagogico - social