Student Perceptions Influenced by Remote Laboratory Infrastructure

Remote laboratories are designed to focus students' cognitive effort on learning; however, unintended impasses introduced via booking systems or user interfaces could lead to frustration and disengagement. We describe updates to the practable.io remote laboratory booking system and user interface across three academic years and measure the impact of these changes using the User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). We focus on the UEQ dependability attribute which measures a student's ‘predictable control’ over the remote lab and is a key driver behind students' academic emotions which in turn influences engagement in learning. Using N = 126 survey responses, we find a significant increase in the ‘predictable - unpredictable’ scale (Kruskal-Wallis H test, H = 6.46, p < 0.05) toward greater predictability, coinciding with a major update of our booking system from first come, first served (no queue) to a reservation system allowing pre-booking and cancellations. We argue that considerations of remote lab infrastructure are vital as they can influence student engagement before a learning task has even begun.