Search results

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an integrated laboratory experiment setup (ILES) to overcome problems encountered in open distance learning (ODL) especially when offering engineering degree programmes.

Engineering laboratory experiments can be classified as experiments which are performed with the intention to inculcate theory, and second, to provide hands-on experience. The ILES integrates both types of experiments with face-to-face laboratory (FFL), online remote laboratory (ORL), and multimedia demonstrations, and it helps to reduce traditional FFL duration by 50 per cent. The first phase of the ILES provides an opportunity to refer multimedia demonstrations of the experiments. Thereafter, students attend the first FFL session, which covers about 25 per cent of the experiments. In the next step, 50 per cent of the experiments are offered using the ORL, via the internet while interacting with real equipment and making actual observations. The final step is used to accomplish the rest of the experiments (25 per cent) in FFL which facilitates the clarification of any problem that may occur in the ORL.

This blended laboratory system will help to achieve ODL objectives while utilising resources productively and cost effectively. Having implemented the idea and based on the information received from the stakeholders, this has proved to be a workable solution to one of the difficulties faced by ODL students.

The level of outcome of the students has to be observed and analysed in comparison with the traditional laboratory setup.

Some experiments (e.g. thermodynamics) which need more safety precautions are difficult to offer via ORL.

The ILES is a blended setup including FFL, ORL and multimedia demonstrations and it is a novel concept which is most applicable to engineering/science programmes offered in ODL mode.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of simulation laboratory on continuing education engineering students’ academic performance.

The investigation consists of establishing the student learning levels then mapping the student learning levels (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) through program outcomes with appropriate evaluation components. 270 continuing education students enrolled during six years were selected to be observed as part of this study. These students were divided into two subgroups, one with 135 students who were offered simulation lab (G2) and the other 135 students were not offered simulation lab (G1) in this investigation. Subsequently, a comparative analysis was carried out on these two groups to assess the student performance in multiple evaluation components with respect to student learning level and program outcome achievement.

It was identified that student performance in the application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation learning levels has improved for the group with simulation lab, and no change or minimal change was observed for the group without simulation lab. It was revealed that the simulation lab practice problems needs to be aligned with the theoretical concepts in the course to get a better performance from the students.

The study was conducted in one of the leading institutes with 270 students’ performance observed over a period of six years. It is the comprehensive work done on a complete program with data collated over a period of six years in multiple courses and multiple assessments.

Cooperative knowledge spaces create new potentials for the experimental fields in natural sciences and engineering because they enhance the accessibility of experimental setups through virtual laboratories and remote technology, opening them for collaborative and distributed usage. A concept for extending existing virtual knowledge spaces for the means of the technological disciplines (“ViCToR‐Spaces” ‐ Virtual Cooperation in Teaching and Research for Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Engineering) is presented. The integration of networked virtual laboratories and remote experiments (“NanoLab Approach”), as well as an approach to community‐driven content sharing and content development within virtual knowledge spaces (NanoWiki) are described.

Expectations play a crucial role in finance, macroeconomics, monetary economics, and fiscal policy. In the last decade a rapidly increasing number of laboratory experiments have been performed to study individual expectation formation, the interactions of individual forecasting rules, and the aggregate macro behavior they co-create. The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive literature survey on laboratory experiments on expectations in macroeconomics and finance. In particular, we discuss the extent to which expectations are rational or may be described by simple forecasting heuristics, at the individual as well as the aggregate level.

Ignition process is a critical issue in combustion systems. It is particularly important for reliability and safety prospects of aero-engine. This paper aims to numerically investigate the burner-to-burner propagation during ignition process in a full annular multiple-injector combustor and then validate it by comparing with experimental results.

The annular multiple-injector experimental setup features 16 swirling injectors and two quartz tubes providing optical accesses to high-speed imaging of flames. A Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes model, adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) and complete San Diego chemistry are used to predict the ignition process.

The ignition process shows an overall agreement with experiment. The integrated heat release rate of simulation and the integrated light intensity of experiment is also within reasonable agreement. The flow structure and flame propagation dynamics are carefully analyzed. It is found that the flame fronts propagate symmetrically at an early stage and asymmetrically near merging stage. The flame speed slows down before flame merging. Overall, the numerical results show that the present numerical model can reliably predict the flame propagation during the ignition process.

The dedicated AMR method together with detailed chemistry is used for predicting the unsteady ignition procedure in a laboratory-scale annular combustor for the first time. The validation shows satisfying agreements with the experimental investigations. Some details of flow structures are revealed to explain the characteristics of unsteady flame propagations.

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in their efforts to develop and market new products. Looks at the issues from different strategic levels such as corporate, international, military and economic. Presents 31 case studies, including the success of Japan in microchips to the failure of Xerox to sell its invention of the Alto personal computer 3 years before Apple: from the success in DNA and Superconductor research to the success of Sunbeam in inventing and marketing food processors: and from the daring invention and production of atomic energy for survival to the successes of sewing machine inventor Howe in co‐operating on patents to compete in markets. Includes 306 questions and answers in order to qualify concepts introduced.

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.

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.

The paper provides new insights into the use of the Internet for laboratory teaching.

This research was limited to one particular remote lab. Results could be extended if students' perceptions and their acceptance of the new e‐learning technology are examined using an information system theory, such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

This paper fulfils a need for adapting the teaching methodology applied in an undergraduate Advanced Microprocessor course of the Telecommunication Engineering degree at the University of Seville, Spain, allowing the development of laboratory experiments anywhere and anytime, avoiding one of the problems in lab training: the low number of laboratory working places in relation to the high number of enrolled students. The system developed has been successfully used during the last academic years in a course involving more than 200 students.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated analysis base to facilitate computational neuroscience experiments, following a user-led approach to provide access to the integrated neuroscience data and to enable the analyses demanded by the biomedical research community.

The design and development of the N4U analysis base and related information services addresses the existing research and practical challenges by offering an integrated medical data analysis environment with the necessary building blocks for neuroscientists to optimally exploit neuroscience workflows, large image data sets and algorithms to conduct analyses.

The provision of an integrated e-science environment of computational neuroimaging can enhance the prospects, speed and utility of the data analysis process for neurodegenerative diseases.

The N4U analysis base enables conducting biomedical data analyses by indexing and interlinking the neuroimaging and clinical study data sets stored on the grid infrastructure, algorithms and scientific workflow definitions along with their associated provenance information.

Current commercial rapid prototyping systems can be used for fabricating layered models for subsequent creation of fully‐dense metal parts using investment casting. Due to increased demand for shortened product development cycles however, there exists a demand to rapidly fabricate functional fully‐dense metal parts without hard tooling. A possible solution to this problem is direct layered rapid manufacturing of such parts, for example, via laser‐beam fusion of the metal powder. The rapid manufacturing process discussed herein is based on this approach. It involves selective laser‐beam scanning of a predeposited metal‐powder layer, forming fully‐dense claddings as the basic building block of individual layers. This paper specifically addresses only one of the fundamental issues of the rapid manufacturing process under investigation at the University of Toronto, namely the fabrication of single claddings. Our theoretical investigation of the influence of the process parameters on cladding’s geometrical properties employed thermal modeling and computer process simulation. Numerous experiments, involving fabrication of single claddings, were also carried out with varying process parameters. Comparisons of the process simulations and experimental results showed good agreement in terms of overall trends.