Work In Progress - A Remote e-Laboratory for Student Investigation, Manipulation and Learning

The development and evaluation of a remote laboratory for student manipulation and learning is reported in this work in progress paper. The laboratory allows students to observe and control a physical setup of a multi-pipe fluid flow experiment through the internet and to predict and analyze the results. The laboratory learning environment interface was developed using LabVIEW™ and structured to enhance students understanding of basic engineering concepts, problem solving, experimental error, data analysis and curve fitting. It further provides students with the opportunity to use engineering software to develop their own algorithm to predict the results. A key aspect of the remote experimentation design is that it allows students to manipulate flow paths on a test bed section of the pipe flow network to obtain parameters they require for the prediction of the results. This allows the use of creativity in experimentation, a feature available in physical experimentation but often restricted in web-based remote laboratories. The remote environment provides increased individual access to equipment during and outside of regular hours from any web-enabled location. The overall architecture of the remote laboratory presented here can be easily applied to other technical fields.