Laboratory as a Service (LaaS): a Novel Paradigm for Developing and Implementing Modular Remote Laboratories

Authors

  • Mohamed Tawfik Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)
  • Christophe Salzmann École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
  • Denis Gillet École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
  • David Lowe University of Sydney
  • Hamadou Saliah-Hassane University of Quebec
  • Elio Sancristobal Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)
  • Manuel Castro Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v10i4.3654

Keywords:

component-based remote laboratories, LaaS, modular remote laboratories

Abstract


The increasing adoption of remote laboratories in education along with the shift from eLearning 2.0 towards eLearning 3.0, have demanded several considerations in their implementation and delivery format. In response to these needs, this contribution introduces a novel model, Laboratory as a Service (LaaS), for developing remote laboratories as independent component modules and implementing them as a set of loosely-coupled services to be consumed with a high level of abstraction and virtualization. LaaS aims to tackle the common concurrent challenges in remote laboratories developing and implementation such as inter-institutional sharing, interoperability with other heterogeneous systems, coupling with heterogeneous services and learning objects, difficulty of developing, and standardization. Beyond the academic context, LaaS will facilitate the incorporation of remote laboratories in the ecosystem of the ubiquitous smart things surrounding us, which increases everyday with the approaching Web of Things (WoT) and artificial intelligence era. This, in turn, will create a breeding ground for online control, experimentation, and discovery—in either formal or informal context and with neither temporal nor geographical constraints.

Author Biographies

Mohamed Tawfik, Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)

Research Fellow at Electrical & Computer Engineering Department

Christophe Salzmann, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Lecturer at School of Engineering and Research Associate at Automatic Control Laboratory

Denis Gillet, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Full Professor and Head React Group at School of Engineering. Associate Editor of the International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning (IJTEL), Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technology (IEEE TLT), and Technical Coordinator of the Go-lab European research Project in Technology-Enhanced Learning.

David Lowe, University of Sydney

Associate Dean (Education), current President of the Global Online Laboratory Consortium (GOLC), and Managing Director of The Labshare Institute (www.labshare.edu.au) – a not-for-profit company promoting cross-institutional laboratory sharing

Hamadou Saliah-Hassane, University of Quebec

Professor at TELUQ

Elio Sancristobal, Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)

Assistant Professor at Electrical & Computer Engineering Department

Manuel Castro, Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)

Full Professor at Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, current IEEE Educational Society President and Co-Editor of IEEE Journal of Latin-American Learning Technologies (IEEE-RITA).

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Published

2014-06-08

How to Cite

Tawfik, M., Salzmann, C., Gillet, D., Lowe, D., Saliah-Hassane, H., Sancristobal, E., & Castro, M. (2014). Laboratory as a Service (LaaS): a Novel Paradigm for Developing and Implementing Modular Remote Laboratories. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 10(4), pp. 13–21. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v10i4.3654

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Section

Papers