Virtual laboratories in Engineering education

Kanesan , Muthusamy and P. Rajesh, Kumar and Sharifah Rosfashida, Syed Abd Latif (2005) Virtual laboratories in Engineering education. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 3 (2). pp. 55-58. ISSN 1347-9008

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Abstract

Laboratories have always been an integral component of engineering education. However, the rapid growth of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has now made it possible for virtual laboratories to be used as an alternative or to supplement the physical or real laboratories. Physical laboratories are the traditional laboratories found in universities : they occupy space, are well equipped and require expertise to function effectively. However, they come with a high price tag and are not cheap to maintain in the long-run. Moreover, the number of students taking engineering courses is steadily increasing which makes it harder for the laboratory instructor to provide personal attention to all students. As a result, universities are considering other options, such as virtual laboratories, seriously. Virtual laboratories are used in the ‘any time, anyplace, on-line learning’ world of engineering education. They are also increasingly being used to supplement the traditional learning modes. This paper reviews the importance of virtual laboratories and their merits and demerits in engineering education.

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