Use of Online laboratories in science and engineering classes during the pandemic became widespread by necessity. Many STEM instructors had to experiment with and transition to different types of online laboratories, such as remote, augmented reality or virtual. In this conversation, Dr. Dominik May talks to us about the background of online laboratory development, their use in engineering classes during a shift to online teaching, and shares insights about the future of flexible learning where online experimentation can offer opportunities for greater engagement in the learning process.

Reference(s) mentioned in this episode:

May, D., Terkowsky, C., Boehringer, D., & Varney, V. (Eds.). (in preparation). Online Laboratories in Higher Engineering Education: Solutions, Challenges, and Future Directions from a Pedagogical Perspective (Special Issue of the European Journal of Engineering Education): European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI).

May, D., Jahnke, I., & Moore, S. L. (Eds.). (in preparation). Online Labs and Virtual Experimentation in Higher Education (Special Issue of Journal of Computing in Higher Education - JCHE): Springer.

May, D. (2020). Cross Reality Spaces in Engineering Education–Online Laboratories for Supporting International Student Collaboration in Merging Realities. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 16(03), 4-26.

Li, R., Morelock, J. R., & May, D. (2020). A Comparative Study of An Online Lab Using Labsland and Zoom during COVID-19. Advances in Engineering Education, 8(4), 1-10. Retrieved from https://advances.asee.org/a-comparative-study-of-an-online-lab-using-labsland-and-zoom-during-covid-19/

LabsLand, company developing and hosting remote labs: https://labsland.com/en

Labster, company developing and hosting virtual labs: https://www.labster.com

EMONA Tims, company selling remote lab equipment for electrical engineering: https://www.emona-tims.com/emona-product/distance-learning-labs/?doing_wp_cron=1622639477.7552559375762939453125

Bio:

Dr. May is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering Education Transformations Institute. He researches online and intercultural engineering education. His primary research focus lies on the development, introduction, practical use, and educational value of online laboratories (remote, virtual, and cross-reality) and online experimentation in engineering instruction. In his work, he focuses on developing broader educational strategies for the design and use of online engineering equipment, putting these into practice and provide the evidence base for further development efforts. Moreover, Dr. May is developing instructional concepts to bring students into international study contexts so that they can experience intercultural collaboration and develop respective competences.