Remote Lab Generator: A Software Tool for Lab Lecturer

Abstract

Remote lab is an alternative tool that can be used to enhance e-learning, especially for courses in sciences and engineering. This technology has been widely used in the academic institutions throughout the world. However, in Malaysia and most of the Asian countries, the application of remote lab is considered new and in most cases ‘unavailable’. In a recent study carried out among Malaysian lecturers, one of the reasons cited for not using this technology is the difficulty in developing a remote lab. The study found that, although lecturers are expert in their domain knowledge, they are lacking in IT skill and hardware interfacing. The study also found that there are many other related tasks – webpage development, booking system development, lab-report system development, marking system development – that would create problems for lectures in developing remote labs. This paper discusses a prototype of “Remote Lab Generator (RLGen)”, a software tool to assist electronic lab lecturers in developing remote labs for courses in electronic engineering. This paper outlines the architecture and modules of RLGen that would help in simplifying the process of developing and setting up of remote labs.