Lab@home for analog electronic circuit laboratory

Laboratory activities of analog electronic circuit undergraduate course at École de technologie supérieure (ETS) require the physical presence of students in groups of 2 in the laboratory to complete predefined or project based laboratories. This classical or traditional approach continuously requires big investments on laboratory equipment and significant space requirements. Moreover, it obliges students to be physically present in the laboratory to complete their experiments. The lab instructor is also present to help them with their needs or to answer their specific questions related to the experiments. With the evolution of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and electronic circuit board technologies, further possibilities even include to bring the laboratory at home (Lab@home). This philosophy can be achieved with the advantages of miniaturized and low cost equipment and facilities, complemented with the student's already available personal computers. Available miniature kits include basic electronics for the generation and processing of various types of signals. The personal computer coupled with the kit, acts as a set of signal injecting and measuring devices. Pedagogical strategies to encourage team collaborative work, ensuring simultaneous information exchanges between the students themselves and with the laboratory instructor can be elaborated specifically for this innovative setup. This recent approach can be used to help enforce the knowledge and competence of the students, allowing them to develop their autonomy, their creativity and thus develop their ability to innovate. This paper presents and further details the Lab@home approach, with its impacts on the students, the Professor, the lab instructor and on the academic institution more globally. The necessary resources, common challenges and difficulties, advantages and drawbacks of the approach, and recommendations for its implementation are also included. A Lab@home implementation case study is also presented at the end of this paper.