Redefining Laboratory Instruction Using Virtual Laboratory

The fundamental principle of engineering is to prepare the students to practice engineering and to deal with the forces and materials of nature. In the good old days, instructional laboratories were important and integral part of the undergraduate engineering education. In the present scenario, unfortunately laboratory instruction is not getting proper attention, due to various factors especially mismatch in the structuring of laboratory instruction.   The main aim of laboratory education is to fulfill:     a) It should corroborate class room teaching to verify experimentally various theoretical deductions and to illustrate the applications of basic principles.     b) From the laboratory courses, the student is supposed to acquire a knowledge of various test equipment’s, different components, usual measuring techniques, a few specialized testing and measuring techniques and concept of error evaluation.     c) It should develop in the students a certain mechanical aptitude, and a feeling for physical magnitude of the things.     d) A laboratory program should aim at developing in a student a clear understanding of the gap between ideal models and actual systems.     In this course, participants will be exposed to use of ICT tools in the laboratory instruction and provided greater insight about the use of Virtual laboratory in the instruction. Based on the various case studies and knowledge reinforcement, at the end of the course participants will design and develop the laboratory instruction using virtual laboratory. Explore the techniques to enhance the student engagement and achievement in the laboratory.  

COURSE LAYOUT Week 1: Introduction Philosophy – Salient Features – Do and Don’ts in Virtual Laboratory - History of Online Learning - Current Models of Virtual Education - Evolving Models of Virtual Education - Virtual Programs and Organizations   Week 2: Student participation & encouraging students to collaborate Participants will be guided through key tools and techniques, and will be encouraged to partake in practical and collaborative activity. The aim of this week is to introduce ways in which participants can encourage their own students to interact and collaborate with each other, using simple tools accessible online.   Week 3: Synchronous and Asynchronous In this week, we will examine the features of synchronous and asynchronous technologies. We will also discuss how to best utilize social media to meet the needs of different learners.   Week 4: Transitioning from the Classroom to the Virtual Environment In this week we will examine the similarities and differences between teaching in the real laboratory and Virtual laboratory. We will discuss the benefits of online education for accommodating and meeting the needs of at-risk and special needs students.   Week 5: The Future of Virtual Education We'll consider and discuss the future of online virtual laboratory education and how new technologies are changing the landscape of technical education in India and other developing countries.