Presentation of UNED (Spanish University for Distance Education) work with MOOCs using remote labs (VISIR) since 2013 as well as the results obtained, all inside the VISIR Project Workshop within the 3rd Experiment@International Conference 2015 (exp.at'15) in the University of Azores - http://www.fe.up.pt/exp.at2015

1. Supporting a MOOC on
Electronics with VISIR
Manuel Castro, Ph.D., IEEE Fellow
Past President Jr
IEEE Education Society
Professor – Electronics Technology
UNED, Madrid, Spain
http://www.slideshare.net/mmmcastro/

2. CONTENTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
1. Introduction
2. Course design
3. Practices design
4. Results

3. ◌ Use of MOOC (Massive Open Online Laboratory)
as a Practical Competence Literacy in Electronics
hand-on Lab
◌ Remote Lab inside a MOOC
◌ Objective: Literacy in Electronics hand-on
◌ Other approach
◌ MOOL – Massive Open Online Laboratory
1. INTRODUCTION
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

4. ◌ The experiments included in the MOOC are based
on the remote laboratory platform Virtual Instrument
Systems in Reality (VISIR) a remote laboratory for
electric and electronic circuits experiments
◌ First time more than 3,000 users trying to book VISIR in
an structured way
◌ Title of the MOOC is:
◌ “Practical Basis on Circuits and Electronics” (Bases de
Circuitos y Electrónica Práctica, BCEP)
1. INTRODUCTION
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

5. 1. INTRODUCTION
◌ Internet of Things (IoT)
◌ A way of connect everything on Internet
◌ Services deployed
◌ Internet of Everything (IoE)
◌ Internet of Learning Things (IoLT)
◌ A way of use for Educational Actitivies the IoT
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

6. CONTENTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
1. Introduction
2. Course design
3. Practices design
4. Results

7. ◌ MOOC Practical Basis on Circuits and Electronics
◌ Bases de Circuitos y Electrónica Práctica, BCEP
◌ Editions: UNED COMA initiative (https://unedcoma.es/)
◌ First edition from May to October 2013
◌ Second edition from November 2013 to October 2014
◌ Third edition open since November 2014
◌ Use the remote laboratory platform Virtual Instrument
Systems in Reality (VISIR) as a remote laboratory for
electric and electronic circuits experiments inside MOOC
2. COURSE DESIGN: BASIS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

8. 2. COURSE DESIGN: UNED COMA
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
https://unedcoma.es/

9. 2. COURSE DESIGN: PRELIMINARY
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
◌ The evaluation and activities go around VISIR and the objectives and
evaluation focused on the handling of instruments and measurements
◌ Even though VISIR has its own booking system, the remote laboratory
reservation system has been integrated in the platform of the MOOC
◌ The students have not time limitation for completing the different tasks
◌ All videos and activities contribute to the grading
◌ Students will get a course badge by accomplishing that the grade exceed
the cut-off grade point established (80%)
◌ All documents, guides and videos are in Spanish
◌ The main objective is the real circuits remote handling – the acquisition
of the competences for analysing circuits is not an objective

10. 2. COURSE DESIGN: PRE-CONCEPTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

11. ◌ VISIR collide with one of the most relevant features that any
MOOC should achieve: scalability [16]
◌ Initial settings:
◌ 16 simultaneous users
◌ 60 minutes per turn
◌ 2 simultaneous turns booked
◌ 14 turns per course
◌ With these settings, up to 384 students every day
◌ Adjusting these parameters, the administrators are able to
regulate remote laboratory availability to the demand of use
2. COURSE DESIGN: RESERVATIONS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

12. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
2. COURSE DESIGN: RESERVATIONS

13. ◌ 42 videos
◌ Handling of remote laboratory instruments and components (R, C, D)
◌ Components and circuits behavior
◌ 55 standard multiple choice questions (single and multiple-answer)
◌ 30 tests multiple choice questions
◌ 4 PDF documents covering the theoretical contents of the course
◌ Simulator and VISIR Manuals and Tutorials
◌ Datasheets for working with real components
◌ 8 Practices guides
◌ Over 30 activities with sub-activities associated for experiment with the
different circuits designed
2. COURSE DESIGN: CONTENTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

14. CONTENTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
1. Introduction
2. Course design
3. Practices design
4. Results

15. ◌ Module 1: Simulation
◌ Module 2: Remote laboratory (VISIR)
◌ Module 3: Working with resistors. Ohmic values. Voltage divider
◌ Module 4: RLC circuits. RL, RLC & RC circuits
◌ Module 5: Working with diodes. Differences between 1N4007 & BAT42.
Halfwave rectifier. Voltage drop on diode
◌ Module 6: Low-pass filter. Mean value, voltage ripple, load land ine
regulation
◌ Module 7: Zener diode. Zener diode as voltage regulator. Zener diode as
clipper. Construction of the current-voltage characteristic curve
◌ Module 8: Operational amplifier. Non-inverting amplifier. Inverting
differentiator. Inverting amplifie
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: MODULES
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

16. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: MODULES

17. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: DIODES
◌ 1N4007
◌ BAT42
02/06/2015
100 Hz 10 kHz 1 MHz
100 Hz 10 kHz 1 MHz

18. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: DIODES
◌ Clipper circuit
Ucc = 0 V Ucc = 2 V
Ucc = 4 V Ucc = 6 V

19. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: ZENER DIODES
◌ Zener diode: Current-voltage characteristic

20. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: RLC
◌ RLC circuits: RC circuit
100 Hz20 Hz 500 Hz
5 kHz1 kHz 10 kHz

21. Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
3. PRACTICES DESIGN: TESTS

22. CONTENTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
1. Introduction
2. Course design
3. Practices design
4. Results

23. 4. RESULTS: STUDENTS
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
◌ 80% points real remote laboratories are suitable tools for obtaining
practical competences
◌ 45% had experience doing real practices in a real, on-campus,
laboratory, 31% had used simulators, 9% had worked with virtual labs
and only 2% had experience with remote labs (FIRST EDITION)
◌ More than 81% enrolled the MOOC for use of a real remote laboratory
◌ More than 91% explicitly assert that real laboratory practices help a lot to
establish the relationship between theoretical contents and real behavior
◌ 43% are 36 years old or more, 33% among 26 and 35 years old and only
14% younger than 26 years old
◌ Only 11% are female
◌ 73% are from Spain, followed by 6% of Colombians

24. 4. RESULTS: ENGINEERING RELATION
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

25. 4. RESULTS: RELIABILITY PERCEPTION
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR

26. 4. RESULTS: THREE EDITIONS (1ST)
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
Periodo: 1-5-2013  29-10-2013
Matriculados: 3305
Comenzado: 2601
Aprobados: 78
Completados: 70
1ª EDICIÓN

27. 4. RESULTS: THREE EDITIONS (2ND)
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
Periodo: 11-11-2013  2-10-2014
Matriculados: 1284
Comenzado: 1134
Aprobados: 74
Completados: 0(1)
(1). No student finish all as a problem in Module VIII

28. 4. RESULTS: THREE EDITIONS (3RD)
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
Periodo: 15-11-2013  OPEN NOW
Matriculados: 908
Comenzado: 732
Aprobados: 18
Completados: 15
1ª EDICIÓN

29. 4. RESULTS: UNED COMA
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
https://unedcoma.es/

30. 4. RESULTS: RESEARCH
Supporting a MOOC on Electronics with VISIR
http://ohm.ieec.uned.es/

31. Supporting a MOOC on
Electronics with VISIR
Manuel Castro, Ph.D., IEEE Fellow
Past President Jr
IEEE Education Society
Professor – Electronics Technology
UNED, Madrid, Spain
http://www.slideshare.net/mmmcastro/
THANKS!!