S. Gallardo

eDSPLab: remote laboratory for experiments on DSP applications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a remote lab and a web‐based teaching environment which provides access for remote control of Digital Signal Processors (DSP device) and real instrumentation. The framework, named eDSPLab, has been designed using LabVIEW for debugging and testing Digital Signal Processing (DSP) experiments in a real lab without physical and temporal restrictions, and it has been integrated as a service in a modern e‐learning application domain and a Learning Management System (LMS) to reinforce its utility.Design/methodology/approach – A literature review is presented to provide background to the progressive role that DSP and DSP devices play in Information and Communications Technology (ICT)‐demanded job profiles, and the role that a computer‐mediated environment plays in modern teaching methodologies. The web service access control architecture is defined.Findings – The paper provides new insights into the use of the Internet for laboratory teaching.Research limitations/...

Interactive Multimedia Teaching of Digital Signal Processors

This article shows a novel approach to Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) teaching based on an interactive multimedia educational tool, designed with Shockwave™ and Macromedia Director™. The use and utility of the tool has been analyzed, and the benefits of this novel teaching methodology have been pointed out.

Modeling Learner Satisfaction in an Electronic Instrumentation and Measurement Course Using Structural Equation Models

The prevailing tendency in modern university reforms is towards ldquohow people learn,rdquo following a learner-centered approach in which the learner is the main actor of the teaching-learning process. As a consequence, one of the key indicators of the teaching-learning process is the measurement of learner satisfaction within the classroom. Learner satisfaction has traditionally been measured using survey responses to a standard learning survey. However, more scientific analysis should be performed to assess adequately not only learner satisfaction but also the main dimensions that have a positive impact on learner satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to define a structural and measurement model in which causal relationships among these different dimensions are adequately established. The methodology is based on a multivariate regression model (Structural Equation Models) to establish scientifically a structural model for learner satisfaction within a classroom, measuring its validity and reliability. The proposed approach has been applied to model learner satisfaction in an electronic instrumentation course at the University of Seville, Spain. The results and implications of this study will contribute to improve student satisfaction with respect to the dimensions considered.

eDSPlab: A remote-accessed instrumentation laboratory for digital signal processors training based on the Internet

This paper presents a new model for using real instrumentation laboratories for digital signal processors (DSP) training on the Internet employing a virtual environment based on Labview. Remote instrumentation interest has been growing immensely as a result of the telecommunication network development and middleware technologies, specially remote signal processing instrumentation/systems used in both industrial and educational approaches. In engineering education, a key activity to be improved is the learning process in digital signal processing instrumentation. Industrial development also demands network distributed and remote applications for on-line control and off-presence monitoring. A remote-accessed instrumentation laboratory is proposed in this approach versus simulation and software-based tools. The virtual on-line laboratory has been developed and validated in the field of electronic digital measurement processing and the effectiveness of the approach is experimentally verified locally and remotely. The prototype has been successfully implemented during the last course 2004/2005 at the Electronic Engineering Department of the University of Seville, Spain

Improving learning performance in laboratory instruction by means of SMS messaging

The study described in this paper outlines an attempt to explore those factors that contribute to learning performance improvement in laboratory instruction. As a case study, the educational methodology involved in a basic microcontroller course was analyzed. Traditional lab sessions based on the control of peripherals with low interactivity have been replaced with new sessions based on mobile technology and the Short Message Service (SMS). This allows the development of greater interactivity and the provision of more motivating features. Using the key tenets of the three basic learning theories (behaviorist, cognitivist and constructivist) and the notion of interactivity as causal factors, the study described in this paper presents a performance learning model based on the theory of reasoned action. This learning model identifies the variables with a significant influence on the learning performance, allowing a statistical analysis to quantify their influence. The results obtained demonstrate the important roles of interactivity and motivating features in a laboratory instruction from both a qualitative and a quantitative point of view.

Remote Instrumentation Laboratory for Digital Signal Processors Training

The development of computing and networking applications based on Internet has opened a new way to understand control and instrumentation systems. Information and communication technologies make possible the use of telecommunication networks, such as the Internet, to design remote applications applied to different fields, such as, telecontrol, measurement instrumentation, telemedicine, embedded systems, teaching and so on. Furthermore, remote control of measurement instrumentation for real experiments via the Internet is a growing topic of interest for many researchers (Chirico et al. 2005). This is especially noticeable in Digital Signal Processors (DSP) training, where practical training is absolutely essential to assure good knowledge transfer to educate good professionals (Hercog et al., 2007). A growing interest has been experienced on recent decades in the development of DSPbased devices. DSP technology is commonly employed nowadays in devices such as mobile phones, multimedia computers, video and DVB recorders, CD and MP3 players, hard disc drive controllers, modems, and will soon replace analog circuitry in TV sets, telephones and other circuits (Poornachandra and Sasikala, 2010). In fact, the sales of DSP devices exceed the sale of general-purpose microprocessors by almost 10:1 (Hong et al., 2004). The architecture of a DSP chip is designed to carry out operations incredibly fast, processing up to tens of millions of samples per second, to provide real-time performance, that is, the ability to process a signal “live” as it is samples and then output the processed signal, for example, to a loud speaker or video display. All the practical applications DSP mentioned earlier, such as disc drives and mobile phones, demand real-time operation and the design of such DSP solutions requires to the professionals a concurrent knowledge of signal processing methods and technology (Poornachandra and Sasikala, 2010). This fact has promoted the inclusion of DSP and DSP devices in the electronic engineering undergraduate curriculum. This tendency also appears in Instrumentation and Measurement courses. High quality DSP based instrumentation equipment has proliferated during the last years. Furthermore, one of the most demanded job profiles in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is related to the design of DSP applications, as it is claimed in the Career Space initiative (Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001; Toral et al, 2006). The DSP Applications Designer is involved in requirement studies, simulations and performance analysis, and participates in the design and optimization of algorithms for signal modulation, detection

SMALL-SCALE DOMOTIC SYSTEM AS PROTOTYPE OF REMOTE CYBERNETIC APPLICATIONS

Abstract Learning systems based on student projects oriented to the solution of real problems have proved to be efficient in the different educational levels. Small-scale and pilot plants are a fundamental part in the teaching of Automation and Electronic courses (Dormido, 2002). Nowadays, there are three basic technological supports which are suffering an enormous development; fieldbuses applications, which are getting more and more important in industrial applications, Internet based applications, which is becoming popular and accessible in the last time, and finally GSM and GPRS networking, which is having one of the most important development focus. A domotic prototype has been designed, as a nexus between these three technological supports providing a versatile tool for educational purposes. With the use of this environment, students can focus on some aspects of cybernetics applying electrical and electronic systems for control, communications with other systems (remote) or with their own components.