Remotely Controlled Laboratory (RCL)

The use of computers and multimedia, as well as the World Wide Web and new communication technologies, allows new forms of teaching and learning like distance learning, blended learning, use of virtual libraries and many more. The herewith discussed RCL project shall offer an additional contribution. The basic idea is for a user to connect via the Internet with a computer from place A, to a real experiment carried out in place B. An overview of our technical and didactical developments as well as an outlook on future plans are presented. Currently, about 10 RCLs have been implemented. The essential characteristics of an RCL are the intuitive use and interactivity (operating the technical parameters), the possibility of different points of view of the ongoing experiment thanks to web cams, and the quickest possible transfer of the data measured by the user. A reasonable use of sensibly chosen real experiments as remote labs allows a new form of homework and exercises, as well as project work and the execution of experiments, which usually would a teacher's prerogative only.

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