Open-Source Remote Laboratories for Accessible, Sustainable Practical Work

Abstract

PCF10 Sub-theme: Inspiring Innovations // Remote laboratories offer an educational value proposition that complements, rather than competes, with traditional face-to-face laboratory instruction. They also offer a route to more sustainable resource usage, by sharing activities around the world so they can be used to their full potential, and saving on laboratory heating and transport for staff and students. The accessibility benefit is naturally offset to a degree by the carbon footprint of streaming and device production. Despite these benefits, remote laboratory uptake has been hampered by the historically high cost and technical challenges of getting started with a new installation, and the difficulty of convincing educators unfamiliar with them, of their value. These issues can be simultaneously addressed by providing a high-quality, low-cost, low-complexity route to educators wishing to gain first-hand experience of remote laboratory teaching. // Paper ID 7890