Development and implementation of an E-learning system for electric circuits laboratory

Abstract

Some of the fundamentals aims of engineering professions are to manipulate materials, energy and information, creating in this way benefit for humankind. To do these tasks successfully, engineers must have a knowledge of nature that goes beyond mere theory-knowledge that is traditionally gained in educational laboratories. As a teaching aid, virtual instrumentation is a powerful resource for the understanding how monitoring and control of physical systems can be carried out. In this paper, we concern about the design of a virtual environment which allows the execution of complementary experimental exercises for undergraduate courses of electric circuits and introduction to digital signal processing. The developed e-learning system allows remote access and acquisition signals (voltage and current), enabling students to perform experiments at their own place, without being physically in the actual laboratory. The web-based virtual environment empowers students by granting them access to laboratories during their free time. A practical example is presented in order to show results and capabilities of the system.