Social media have shown the power of online collaboration — now online labs need to harness it, argues Olawale B. Akinwale.
Online laboratories allow science and engineering students to carry out experiments remotely — either on real equipment or on a computer simulation — from anywhere, any time.
For example, an experiment using a heat-exchanger, a device used to measure the transfer of heat between two fluids separated by a solid wall, can be set up in a university in the United States and connected to the Internet. This experiment can then be performed by an engineering student in a remote village in Africa, as long as the student has access to an Internet connection.
The technology is often met with scepticism. An online lab cannot replace the physical experience of working in a lab, so why should anyone use one?
But online labs are an attractive option for less privileged institutions that cannot afford their own facilities. In the case of remote labs, being able to work online makes it possible to perform experiments on expensive equipment thousands of miles away
nota completa
0 comentarios:
Publicar un comentario en la entrada