Remote Labs Call | IFE Living Lab and Data Hub

Measuring the impact on the teaching/learning process derived from the introduction and experimentation with remote laboratories in higher education STEM courses.

Remote laboratories have existed as a research field for at least 25 years, with some research works published in 1996 (Bohus et al., 1996). In a remote laboratory, as opposed to a hands-on one, students are physically away from the equipment. While in a hands-on lab students are physically close to the equipment and are able to directly view and interact with it through their own physical bodies, in a remote lab the students access, control and view the process online, via the Internet (Bencomo, 2002).

The goal of a remote laboratory is often to provide an educational experience that closely resembles that of an equivalent hands-on laboratory. If the laboratory and experience are properly designed, it can achieve similar or even superior educational outcomes (Ma & Nickerson, 2006; Brinson, 2015; Jong, Linn et al., 2013). Sometimes the laboratories are designed to leverage characteristics of the digital medium to be able to provide additional features and advantages over traditional hands-on laboratories (Rodriguez-Gil et al., 2016).

As opposed to a virtual laboratory, the experimentation that a remote laboratory provides is real and it is not based on a simulation. Thus, the main difference among hands-on and remote laboratories is the means of interaction between the student and the equipment, rather than the nature of the experimentation.

University instructors may have different reasons for choosing to integrate remote laboratories in their courses (De la Torre et al., 2020; Corter et al., 2007). In some cases universities use them as a complement to traditional hands-on laboratories: that is, as an additional educational tool, among others and in some other cases they are used as substitutes for traditional hands-on laboratories (Ma et al., 2006; Brinson, 2015; Corter et al., 2007; Sauter et al., 2013). This last approach is particularly relevant for distance universities and has also been more frequent in general during the COVID-19 situation due to practical limitations.

In fact, during the COVID-19 situation, remote laboratories technology has enabled some institutions to provide STEM laboratory practices almost normally, online. Certain public bodies have included remote labs in their recommendations (Vries et al., 2017). Institutions around the world have used remote labs for that purpose, as in the USA (Pennisi, 2020), Spain (Flano, 2020; Garcia-Zubia et al., 2020), Germany (Pretz, 2020), South Africa (Linden, 2020; Sawahel, 2020) and Mexico (Macias, & Mendez, 2007; Macias & Mendez, 2008; Macias & Rincón-Flores, 2019).

This call for proposals aims to measure the enrichment of the teaching/learning process by introducing two remote laboratories platforms (i.e. LabsLand and eLab) in higher education STEM courses at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Therefore, we invite fellow researchers to submit a proposal that fosters collaboration with faculty members and students, in order to experiment and evaluate the impact generated from adopting remote laboratories in their courses.

All accepted proposals will be invited to submit an article with their research outcomes, to be included in a Special Issue of an indexed high-impact Journal. The article will be subject to meeting Journal’s scope and quality requirements.

Bencomo, S. D. (2002). Control learning: Present and future. IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 35(1), 71-93.Ma, J., & Nickerson, J. V. (2006). Hands-on, simulated, and remote laboratories: A comparative literature review. ACM Computing Surveys (CSUR), 38(3), 7-es.

Bohus, C., Crowl, L. A., Aktan, B., & Shor, M. H. (1996). Running control engineering experiments over the Internet. IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 29(1), 2919-2927.

Brinson, J. R. (2015). Learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional (hands-on) laboratories: A review of the empirical research. Computers & Education, 87, 218-237.

Corter, J. E., Nickerson, J. V., Esche, S. K., Chassapis, C., Im, S., & Ma, J. (2007). Constructing reality: A study of remote, hands-on, and simulated laboratories. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 14(2), 7-es.

De Jong, T., Linn, M. C., & Zacharia, Z. C. (2013). Physical and virtual laboratories in science and engineering education. Science, 340(6130), 305-308.

De La Torre, L., Neustock, L. T., Herring, G. K., Chacon, J., Clemente, F. J. G., & Hesselink, L. (2020). Automatic generation and easy deployment of digitized laboratories. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 16(12), 7328-7337.

Flano, T. (Apr. 2020). Una Startup Permite a Los Colegios Acceder Online y Gratis a Laboratorios Reales [A Startup Allows Schools to Access Real Laboratories Online for Free. Diario Vasco. Accessed: Jul. 1, 2020

Garcia-Zubia, J., Hernandez, U., Angulo, I., Orduña, P., & Irurzun, J. (2009). Acceptance, Usability and Usefulness of WebLab-Deusto from the Students Point of View. International Journal of Online Engineering, 5(1).

García-Zubía, J., & Hernández-Jayo, U. (Jul. 2020). Los Laboratorios Remotos Revolucionan el Aprendizaje Desde Casa [Remote Labs Revolutionize Learning From Home]. The Conversation. Accessed: Sep. 1, 2020. [Online]. Available at: https://theconversation.com/loslaboratorios-remotos-revolucionan-el-ap%rendizaje-desde-casa-137101

Linden, A. (May 2020). UFH ReVEL Online Technology Prepares to Provide Support During Lockdown. Univ. Fort Hare News. Accessed: Sep. 1, 2020. [Online]. Available at: https://www.ufh.ac.za/news/News/UFHReVELONLINETECHNOLOGYPREPARESPROVIDE%SUPPORTDURINGLOCKDOWN

Macias, M., & Mendez, I. (2007). eLab - Remote Electronics Lab in Real Time. Paper presented at 2007 ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, S3G, 12-17. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224300065_eLab_-_Remote_electronics_lab_in_real_time

Macias, M., & Rincón-Flores, E.G. (2019). MOOC Lab, a Massive Online Laboratory with Real Time Access. Paper presented at 2019 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 646-652. Available at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8725036

Macias, M., & Mendez, I. (2008). TeleLab - Remote Automations Lab in Real Time. Paper presented at 2008 ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, S1B, 15-20. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224361048_TeleLab_-_Remote_automations_Lab_in_real_time

Pennisi, E. (2020). During the pandemic, students do field and lab work without leaving home. Science, 10.

Pretz, K. (2020). German University opens up its hands-on remote FPGA lab during the coronavirus pandemic. IEEE Spectr.

Ramirez, D., & Macías, M. (2013, June). Solving Material Balance Problems at Unsteady State using a Remote Laboratory in the classroom. Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--22462. Available at: https://peer.asee.org/solving-material-balance-problems-at-unsteady-state-using-a-remote-laboratory-in-the-classroom

Ramirez, D., Ramirez, M.S., & Marrero, T. (2016). Novel Use of a Remote Laboratory for Active Learning in Class. Chemical Engineering Education, 50(2), 141-148. Available at: https://journals.flvc.org/cee/article/view/88035

Rodriguez-Gil, L., García-Zubia, J., Orduña, P., & López-de-Ipiña, D. (2016). Towards new multiplatform hybrid online laboratory models. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 10(3), 318-330.

Sauter, M., Uttal, D. H., Rapp, D. N., Downing, M., & Jona, K. (2013). Getting real: the authenticity of remote labs and simulations for science learning. Distance Education, 34(1), 37-47.

Sawahel, W. COVID-19 drives development of online laboratories. Higher Educ. Web Publishing, Jul. 2020. Accessed: Sep. 1, 2020. [Online]. Available at: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200715130543961

Vries, P., Klaassen, R., Ceulemans, D., & Ioannides, M. (2018). Emerging Technologies in Engineering Education: Do we need them and can we make them work.

Objective: To measure and analyze the impact on the teaching/learning process derived from introducing remote laboratories in higher education STEM courses.

We are calling for proposals addressing (but not limited to) one or several of the following approaches:

Measuring the development of technological, cognitive, professional, and social competences in students that include remote laboratories in their studies.
Measuring the development of skills and competences in teachers that introduce remote laboratories in their courses.
Measuring the enrichment of the teaching/learning process when introducing remote laboratories in engineering courses (i.e. learning curves, participatory culture, engagement, etc).
Evaluating the functionality of the provided remote laboratories platforms for their further improvement and development.

Keywords: Remote Laboratories, Educational Innovation, Co-creation, EdTechs, Living Lab

Remote Labs Platforms Considered in the Call

Two remote labs platforms will be considered (LabsLand and eLabs), to which the selected proposals will gain access for experimentation and analysis throughout the duration of the call.

eLabs is a development from Tecnológico de Monterrey, which deploy work platforms for remote laboratories that can be accessed in real time, and that are widely available to any student and professor in the world through the Internet. Thus, allowing for a distance use of lab resources and at lower cost of implementation than traditional labs.

In eLabs, experimentation is in real time, which means experiments happen at that precise moment. Its work interface is interactive with immediate response, and furthermore, results are not predefined or guaranteed, since they depend on the knowledge and skills of the student.

Until now, 15 laboratories with remote access in real time have been deployed in 3 different platforms: Remote Laboratories for Electrical, Electronic and Mechatronics Engineering courses, a Basic Remote laboratory for massive use (open to the public for a continuous education), and Specialized Remote laboratories for postgraduate courses or research.

Internationally, eLabs has been recognized with the Silver Award in E-Learning by the QS-Wharton Reimagine Education Awards. Furthermore, some of its remote labs have been transferred to several institutions in Mexico and to Hangzhou Dianzi University in China. Also, in 2020, the EdTech spin-off “LaiBoyan Technology” was founded as a means to commercialize its technology.

eLabs main objective is the consolidation of a Global Network of Remote Laboratories that allows us to share the laboratory resources that each institution has available, regardless of where they are located in the world. Key subjects on the platform: electric circuits, electronics, automation, electric machines, and instrumentation.

To learn more about eLabs and Laiboyan go to: http://elab.mty.itesm.mx/,
www.laiboyan.mx,
eLabs - Laboratorios remotos

IFE LL&DH Seminar "Remote Labs Platforms: Total flexibility in the Where and When"

LabsLand was founded in 2015 as a spin-off of the University of Deusto. Specifically, as a spin-off of the educational remote laboratories research team, which is widely recognized in its academic field.

The mission of LabsLand is to improve global STEM education of all educational levels by democratizing access to STEM experimentation, providing more effective and convenient access to it.

LabsLand provides access to real educational laboratories and equipment, online. The laboratories can be for a wide range of subjects such as physics, engineering, chemistry, robotics, and others. They can be accessed from almost any device, with just a web browser and an Internet connection.

LabsLand designs, hosts, and implements most laboratories in collaboration with universities around the world. LabsLand is currently collaborating with over 27 universities in 14 different countries. Many more universities are not among those that collaborate in the creation, but are simply subscribers to the network, who do not own equipment or laboratories, but instead use them remotely.

LabsLand is fast-growing both in terms of laboratories and subjects that are covered, universities that collaborate with the network, and universities that are simply subscribers to the laboratories.

Key subjects on the platform: physics, chemistry, electronics, robotics, and instrumentation.

To learn more about LabsLand go to: https://labsland.com/en

IFE LL&DH Seminar "Democratizing STEM experimentation with the LabsLand global network"

Advisory Board

For this call for proposals on remote laboratories experimentation, the IFE Living Lab & Data Hub team counts on the valuable expertise of five academic advisors from USA, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Mexico.

Pablo Orduña

CEO of LabsLand

Manuel Eduardo Macías García

CEO of Laiboyan

Ignacio J. Idoyaga

Deputy Director for the Science Education Research and Support Center, UBA

Carlos Arguedas Matarrita

Coordinator of Remote Experimentation Laboratory at UNED, Costa Rica

César Cárdenas Pérez

Director of Engineering and Technology, UNIR, Mexico

Genaro Zavala Enríquez

Leader of the Socially Oriented Interdisciplinary STEM Education Research Group (SOI-STEM), Mexico

Important dates

February 28, 2022: Call for proposals launch.
March 18, 2022 10:00 (UTC-6): Q&A session (view the presentation).
March 21-25, 2022: LabsLand and eLabs workshops (sessions are open)

View recording - LabsLand Workshop
March 23, 10:00AM (UTC-6) View recording - eLabs/Laiboyan Workshop
March 25, 10:00AM (UTC-6)
March 28 - April 04, 2022 23:59 (UTC-6): Extended abstract submission (extended deadline).
April 25, 2022 23:59 (UTC-6): Full proposal submission (extended deadline). Template available here.
May 13, 2022: Notification of accepted proposals.
May 16-31, 2022: LabsLand and eLabs training (dates will be further announced).
Jun 25, 2022: Mentoring session.
Jun 01 - Jul 31, 2022: Preparation of selected proposals activities, deliverables, and evaluation instruments.
Ago 01 - Oct 31, 2022: Experimentation and analysis phase.
Dec 15, 2022: Submission of outcomes in special issue.
Jan 16-18, 2023: Presentation of call outcomes at the 9th International Conference on Educational Innovation (CIIE 2022).

Submission process

You can send your proposal in a PDF document with the author(s) information.
It is necessary to use the template defined by the IFE Living Lab & Data Hub for the complete proposal. The Word template is found here.
For the extended abstract you can use the first section of the template. Extended abstracts suggested length: One page.
Extended abstracts and complete proposals will be managed by correspondence to ife.livinglab@servicios.tec.mx.

Assessment Guidelines

The research and experimentation proposal document must follow the structure defined by the IFE Living Lab & Data Hub.
It is recommended to base your proposal on the use of both remote labs platforms (i.e. LabsLand and eLabs). However, applicants may choose to experiment with only one of the remote labs platforms depending on their specific field of study.
Participants will be required to design the instructional materials (practices) to be applied during the experimentation with the selected remote labs platforms.
We encourage the study of teaching/learning competences, however, applicants may propose other teaching/learning enrichment variables, supported by related previous studies found in the literature.
The call is intended for remote and hybrid higher education courses, but it could also be applied to online courses such as MOOCs and MOOLs.

If the proposal is accepted, it is mandatory to acknowledge the support of the Tecnologico de Monterrey's IFE Living Lab & Data Hub in any publications, presentations, and technical reports that result from this call.
Although experimentation will take place with teachers and students at Tecnológico de Monterrey, multi-institutional collaborations are encouraged to further improve the proposed experiments and activities.
The IFE Living Lab will coordinate and schedule co-creation activities, such as workshops, focus groups and interviews, thus ensuring that the selected proposals timeline is being followed throughout the call.
The advisory board will act as mentors for the best-evaluated proposals throughout this stage.
The results of the experimentation should be documented in the form of an article according to the guidelines of the Journal.

To document the experimentation and analysis carried out by the applicants, the resulting article will be sent to the Living Lab email ife.livinglab@servicios.tec.mx. Furthermore, by December 15 2022, it is encouraged to submit the article in a Special Issue of a high-impact Journal that we are preparing for this call. The publication of the article is not guaranteed since it depends on the review process established by the Journal for its acceptance. In case the article cannot be submitted to this Special Issue, please send a letter to the same Livin Lab email with an explanation of the reasons and the intention to publish it in another high-impact Journal (Q1/Q2).

If you wish to share any data files derived from the experimentation and analysis, feel free to send us an email at ife.livinglab@servicios.tec.mx and we’ll guide you publish your files at the IFE Data Hub open repository.

For any further questions or comments regarding this call for proposals, feel free to contact us via the following emails:

Dr. Luis F. Morán-Mirabal, IFE Living Lab and Call Coordinator, lmoran@tec.mx
Dr. Gerardo Castañeda-Garza, IFE Data Hub Coordinator, g.castaneda@tec.mx
Dr. Héctor G. Ceballos, Director of the IFE Living Lab & Data Hub, ceballos@tec.mx