Abstract
Hand-on skills training is an essentially significant component of many engineering courses, like robotics, electronics, mechanics and renewable energy. A major concern in online/distance engineering education is how we can overcome the problems associated with laboratory components of courses. In this proposal, a new eLearning pedagogical approach called flipped online laboratory is proposed and expected to be used in teaching robotics. The basic underlying idea is that an online (synchronous) laboratory could be conducted with the help of flipped (asynchronous) laboratory instructions for making students’ first robot. An online robotic laboratory, on the one hand, is planning to be constructed based on our real robotic laboratory with real robots and corresponding computers. The conventional robotic laboratory can be transformed to an online laboratory thanks to the cross platform remote control technique, where students could use their personal computers in distance to control the computers in the lab, further tuning and controlling the robot in real time. In this way, some distinct advantages to students could be cherished by avoiding healthy problems and safety problems compared to conventional labs. On the other hand, this proposal combines with flipped laboratory, which allows students to learn from videos of laboratory instructions before each online lab at their convenience. As a result, more efforts could be devoted into problem solving and students-instructor interaction in synchronous online laboratory. The method will demonstrate its effectiveness in the existing course (UGEB2303 Robots in Action) where students without technical background could build and manipulate their first robot via the flipped online robotics laboratory.
Brief write-up
Project objectives
1. A new eLearning pedagogical approach called flipped online laboratory is proposed and applied in teaching robotics for the general education course UGEB2303 “Robots in Action”.
2. Lab sessions of this course can be carried out by using the constructed flipped online laboratory, and corresponding hands-on skills can be obtained by students.
3. Creatively develop a new way in conducting online laboratory by using self-developed Arduino-based software, Zoom, and remote control technique.
4. Develop 3 micro-modules for assembling and manipulating robotic arms for any related robotic courses in the Faculty of Engineering.
5. Produce 10 sets of remote controllable robotic arms for either online or offline lab sessions.
Activities, process and outcomes
The whole process of the project development can be generally divided into two parts: The first part focuses on the development of hardware, while the second part is concerned with software and micro-modules development. The scheduling of this project is given as follows:
|
No.
of week
|
Carried out activities
|
deliverables/outcomes
|
|
1-2
|
Hardware selection, purchase, compatibility checking, online lab
teaching materials development
|
3 micro-modules produced
|
|
2
|
Hardware assembling and testing
|
|
|
3
|
Software development for Arduino controllers
|
1 set of Arduino based programs
|
|
4
|
Hardware and software compatibility checking and development
|
10 sets of remote controllable robotic arms with sensors
|
|
5-7
|
Gathering feedback from students, modifications for the proposed
pedagogy
|
1 online robotic laboratory completed
|
|
8-12
|
Implementation of the proposed pedagogy to other courses, gathering
feedback from participants and making positive adjustment
|
1 webinar for Mechanical and Automation Engineering students; 1
leaflet and 1 video for publicity of this project; 1 poster/presentation at
local conference;
|
Deliverables and evaluation
The achieved outcomes with key deliverables are listed in the following table:
|
No.
|
achieved key
activities/ deliverables/ outcomes
|
Key deliverables
|
|
1.
|
Micro-modules produced
|
3 micro-modules for assembling and manipulating robotic arm
respectively
|
|
2.
|
Teaching/exhibition platform
|
1 online robotic laboratory with 10 sets of remote controllable
robotic arms
|
|
3.
|
Teaching hardware produced
|
10 sets of robotic arms with sensors
and 10 sets of Arduino controllers
|
|
4.
|
Teaching software produced
|
1 set of Arduino-based programs for laboratory teaching related to
robotics
|
|
5.
|
Conference
|
1 posters/presentations in 1 local conference/exposure
|
|
6.
|
Workshop
|
N/A
|
|
7.
|
Seminar
|
1 seminars attended by 50 students
|
|
8.
|
Other deliverables
|
1 leaflet and 1 video for publicity of this project
|
Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices
Presentations in workshops or conferences:
1. Flipped Online Laboratory for Making Students’ First Robot, Teaching and Learning Innovation Expo 2019-20, 16 July 2020. (Got the Poster Award)
2. Flipped Online Laboratory for Making Students’ First Robot, eLearning Forum Asia 2020, 7 December 2020.
3. Virtual competition of solar powered cars, Invited speaker at Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Engagement Workshop, 15 December 2020.
4. Flipped Online Laboratory, Invited speaker, Flipped Learning in the Age of COVID-19: Panel Discussion, 17 December 2020.
5. Three versions of flipped online laboratory, Invited speaker, GE Lunch Seminar – Online Teaching and Learning: Challenges and Opportunities during COVID-19, 27 April 2021.
Impact on teaching and learning
The results of feedback from students are given as follows:
1. Rate of positive feedback is 93.2% in the Survey on the online laboratory learning experience towards the end of the courses UGEB2303.
2. Rate of positive feedback is 82.9% in the survey on the micro-modules and eLearning materials towards the end of the courses UGEB2303.
3. Rate of positive feedback is 100% in focus group interview with a small group of volunteer students of the courses UGEB2303.
4. Rate of positive feedback is 84.6% on the course website and small group forum.
