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Teaching with theRemote Web-based Science

Laboratory

Instructor’s guideINTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF RWSL

NANSLO Core Units, Laboratory Experiments, and Supporting Materialby the North American Network of Science Labs Online,

a collaboration between WICHE, CCCS, and BCcampusis licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License ;

based on a work at rwsl.nic.bc.ca.Funded by a grant from EDUCAUSE through the Next Generation Learning Challenges.

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http://www.wiche.edu/nanslo

http://nextgenlearning.org/

http://www.educause.edu/

http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

http://www.bccampus.ca/

http://www.cccs.edu/

http://www.wiche.edu/

TEACHING WITH RWSLINTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

TEACHING WITH RWSL: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

In this section, you’ll learn about how the RWSL was developed, how it supports science lab learning, and how the software and hardware interfaces work together to provide a modular and highly-configurable environment for science experimentation. We’ll include some tips about designing labs with RWSL and troubleshooting simple problems.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The Remote Web-based Science Laboratory began in a modest way in the remote coastal community of Bella Coola, BC (Canada). In 2003, Ron Evans was an instructor for North Island College, living and working at the tiny college centre in Bella Coola. He had developed online courses for Space Science and Astronomy (SSA), and wanted his students to be able to complete the course lab work regardless of their location. For this, he needed a telescope which could be accessed over the internet. The idea of teaching an online Astronomy course (including the labs) over the internet captured the imagination of others and he was able to receive funding from government agencies, in-kind support (especially the wonderful technical support provided by Albert Balbon) from North Island College, and logistical support from the Tatlayoko Think Tank.

It was decided that the telescope would be more accessible if it were installed at the elementary school in Tatla Lake, an inland community further away from the often-overcast skies of coastal Bella Coola. The online observatory saw first light in 2004 and Ron’s SSA students, scattered across the province (and beyond) were able to maneuver the telescope, view a wide variety of solar system and deep-space objects, and collect real-time astronomical images and data.

The online SSA courses, with authentic telescope lab access, won the 2005 Innovation Award from BCcampus (a provincial consortium to support innovation in postsecondary education). The publicity attracted interest from other colleges in the province and soon the Web-based Associate of Science (WASc) Project was underway. This project, supported with provincial funding, was conceived to develop all the curriculum required to deliver the Associate of Science Degree – including the labs – entirely online. Over several years, lab-based science courses in geology, physics, biology and chemistry were developed and offered to the province under a Creative Commons share-alike licence.

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License 2


To expand lab-based capabilities, the Remote Web-based Science Laboratory (RWSL) was developed at North Island College’s main campus in Courtenay, BC. RWSL provided a software and robotic interface to allow students to interact with and control remote lab equipment from their home computer and collect authentic real-world data in real-time without attending a traditional lab classroom. The RWSL approach was supplemented with other lab delivery methods such as lab kits.

In 2010, the WASc and RWSL projects came to the attention of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WICHE engaged the Colorado Community College system (CCCS) and BCcampus as partners and applied for funding through the Next Generation Learning Challenges to scale the project across the state of Colorado. The funding was granted in 2011 and the North American Network of Science Labs Online (NANSLO) was born.

WHY TEACH WITH REMOTE LABS?

Science, as a way of thinking about and viewing the universe, is an integral component of a postsecondary education. As science educators we are passionate about the value a high-quality lab experience that includes authentic interaction with the real world.

Using distance education strategies to deliver high-quality science education presents a unique challenge. Delivering the lecture material is not so difficult: for the most part, the teaching of theoretical material has matured considerably with the introduction of e-learning strategies. Delivering the lab components using distance strategies is another issue altogether. How do we maintain a direct interaction with the real world, develop essential laboratory skills, and maintain (or exceed) high-quality science learning outcomes when our students are not right under our noses?

A growing number of institutions are attempting to deliver science lab learning at a distance (see NANSLO Environmental Scan for examples). They tend to use three main strategies for developing lab skills. The first strategy involved sending a lab kit to each student and, when well-designed, these lab kits have proved highly effective for the development of hands-on skills such as microscope manipulation and chemical titrations (Kennepohl, 2007). Once computers became almost ubiquitous in students’ homes, computer-based simulations were added as an option. Simulations have proved effective for developing skill in experimental design and an understanding of the scientific method (for example, see Hodson, 1998).

The third strategy involves the use of remotely accessed lab activities. In some ways, remote labs offer the best of both worlds: they provide the opportunity to manipulate real equipment and generate authentic data in much the same way as a lab kit can do. They also provide the student with access to experimental configurations that are not possible in a lab kit: students can explore scientific processes with dangerous or expensive equipment that they could not use at home.

But the remote lab offers even more: the opportunity to use remote equipment to practice skills and processes that are becoming more and more commonplace in modern science. Many people are familiar with the Mars Rover and high-tech medical equipment but few are aware more common applications: using computer controlled scientific instruments, accessing scientific databases, interpreting and analyzing data from instruments, using computer modeling and simulations. A growing amount of



scientific research is mediated by technology and learning to manipulate equipment remotely is a 21st century skill. Abundant research suggests that learning outcomes of students working remotely are equivalent (sometimes better) than those working in a face-to-face "traditional" lab environment (for example, see Corter et al., 2004 and Lang, 2010).

Most people would agree that (at this point, anyway) not all skills can be effectively taught at a distance. Some extremely complex skills -- such as brain surgery and sophisticated interpersonal skills -- may always require the close proximity of a teacher or mentor. But most of the practical, theoretical and social skills required in a foundational science education can be adapted for distance delivery. NANSLO science lab courses utilize all three distance science delivery strategies but the Remote Web-based Science Laboratory remains the showcase aspect of the project.

BASIC COMPONENTS OF THE RWSL INTERFACE

The RWSL is a system consisting of a computer interface connected to lab apparatus.

The RWSL computer interface provides three main functions: Observation (e.g. camera) Data acquisition (e.g. recording, display, numeric data) Physical manipulation (e.g. air track launcher, robotic arm)

The RWSL includes a software program designed to portray these tools in a graphical user interface.

The RWSL lab can accommodate a wide (and growing) variety of science equipment, including a spectrometer, air track, microscope, and other apparatus encountered in a traditional science lab.

Fig. 1: the RWSL system



The RWSL system enables students to make a direct connection (over the internet) to the lab apparatus. Through this connection, students can remotely manipulate lab equipment, observe what happens, and acquire data from the experiment. The graphical user interface enables students to see and work with a set of “virtual instruments” on their computer screen, and interact with the real lab equipment in a fairly intuitive way.

MORE ABOUT CAMERA CONTROLS

With a few exceptions, the camera controls for all RWSL mediated labs are always standardized on the right side of the LabView Virtual Instrument (VI) screen. In Fig. x (below) you can see the camera image as it appears for the spectrometer set-up (the image will be different when using other lab apparatus).

Fig. B1: RWSL Camera Controls

As you experiment with the various camera controls, the image above the Camera Controls will change in some way depending on which camera control you are using.


Fig. 2: RWSL interface showing sample physical manipulation options


Camera Selection: RWSL supports up to 4 different cameras. These are selected by clicking on the button that corresponds to each camera. You can select one of up to 4 cameras

by clicking on the circular button at the lower right of the camera control area that corresponds to the camera you want. Not all RWSL lab exercises have this many cameras and those buttons not mapped to a camera will simply not respond.

Camera Presets: Each camera can have up to 6 preset positions as indicated by the rectangular buttons in the Camera Controls. After selecting the camera you want to use, you can select the pre-set positions for that camera. If there are less than 6 presets,

the rectangular button corresponding to an undefined preset position will simply not respond.

“Inukshuk” Controls (Pan, Tilt, and Zoom): The “Inukshuk” control on the left side of the Camera Control area allows you to pan (move left and right), tilt (move up and down), and zoom (as with a hand-held digital camera) the selected camera. The selected camera must have these functions built in for these controls to work. Please refer to the camera instructions specific to the lab you are working with for these details. The ‘Inukshuk’ controls are intuitive so play with them and you will see what each of the oval buttons does.

Camera On/off Button:The circular green button in the middle of the 4 directional control buttons is a toggle that will turn the selected camera off and on.

When you are done exploring the camera controls, you can restore the initial camera view for the lab apparatus by selecting camera 1 (the left most camera button) and pressing preset 1.

SETTING UP YOUR COMPUTER FOR RWSL

Eventually, the RWSL will support any student/instructor with a standard Internet service. However, at the time of this writing, not all computer systems and Internet services will work well with RWSL; in fact, in some situations the remote system can cause the RWSL server to crash. Consequently every user who intends to connect to RWSL must have their computer set up certified by the RWSL techs or it will not be allowed to connect. This will ensure the best experience for all involved.

Currently RWSL works only on the Microsoft Windows operating system (XP or later) and the Internet Explorer browser (version 8 or later). While we have plans for expanding these options in the future, at this time you must first make sure that your system meets these minimum conditions before proceeding. If not, you must acquire access to a system that does meet these conditions.



Follow these steps to configure your system for RWSL

1. Please contact the NANSLO Project Coordinator, Catherine Weldon, for assistance in gaining access to the RWSL experiments at [email protected]. In addition to following these instructions, a username and password is required.

a. You must be using the Windows operating system (XP or later) and the Internet Explorer (version 8 or later) browser. If you have a Macintosh computer, you can run Windows and Internet Explorer in Parallels, VMware Fusion, or in Bootcamp.

b. Make sure that your computer has a high-speed connection to the internet (wired or wireless/wifi connection). We recommend at least 5 Mbps download speed. If you have a number of computers all accessing the same internet connection, you may have to turn them off to get the required minimum connection speed.

c. Institutional connections often have firewall and security protocols that interfere with RWSL. If you run into security issues when you attempt to work with RWSL, try it from a less secure location (e.g. your home) instead.

d. While accessing the RWSL, it is also a good idea to close any other programs that are not necessary to lighten the load on your computer.

e. Visit this site and follow the instructions for downloading required software: http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/installguide/ . Follow all the steps on this page to install the necessary plugin software. You MUST have full administrator privileges on your computer in order to install this software.

f. If the software is working correctly, you should see a video playing at this site http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/installguide/moxa.html

Note that the installguide website also has instructions for contacting the RWSL techs should you run into any issues.

If your system cannot be certified, you may be asked to go to your local educational institution where a student system has been certified for use with RWSL.

TEAMWORK WITH RWSL

The RWSL interface is well-suited to teamwork activities. Students can be assigned to small lab groups and encouraged (or required) to work together on some of the labs. Keep in mind that although multiple students can view the experimental set up at any given time, only one student at a time can control the equipment. Lab group participants must be connected via a communications interface so that they can coordinate who controls the apparatus. To minimize demands on the RWSL bandwidth, no communications channel has been built into the RWSL interface. Students must connect through a communications “back-channel” (see section following).


http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/installguide/moxa.html

http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/installguide/

mailto:[email protected]


Although working in a team is an essential skill for scientists, it’s important to consider the special situation of distance students when assigning group work. Students enrolled in distance-delivered courses often do so for a variety of reasons. In many cases, they are juggling jobs with family and community responsibilities and have multiple demands on their time. Often, students sign up for a distance-delivered course because they lack the flexibility to attend scheduled labs and lectures at a traditional institution.

To avoid obscuring the asynchronous advantage provided by distance delivery, keep your groupwork assignments to a minimum and assign groups as small as possible. It will be much easier for a pair of students to coordinate a common lab time than it will for a group of four or five. Make sure that the labs you assign for groupwork include tasks that require teamwork and support learning outcomes directly related to the development of teamwork skills.

MORE ABOUT CONFIGURING A COMMUNICATIONS BACK-CHANNEL

Students assigned to a lab group must be able to communicate among themselves during the lab session and with the RWSL tech should unexpected issues arise. As the instructor, you may also wish to ‘look in’ on your students while they are performing an experiment using RWSL. There are a number of possible communications services to choose from, but the service you adopt must:

1) allow multiple participants2) be agreed upon by all participants ahead of time3) use minimal bandwidth so as not to degrade the connection to RWSL

Although video chatting might be desirable when talking to each other before and after the lab session, it’s important to remember that a streaming video connection requires a great deal of bandwidth. When connectivity is limited, this extra video connection could significantly degrade the connection to RWSL. For this reason you will probably request that your students not use video to communicate with each other during the actual RWSL connection. Audio is important as it is the most efficient way to convey information among lab group participants. An audio connection requires significantly less bandwidth than video, and while it may degrade the RWSL connection when bandwidth is marginal, this is not so likely. Typing into a chat window uses the least bandwidth of all. Consequently your communications set-up should include a text chat feature in case the audio fails or one member of the group doesn’t have the necessary equipment to support audio communication.

The RWSL development team has used Google+ for back-channel communications, but other services, such as Skype, MSN, and others, are also good choices. In the case of a very small lab group (1 or 2 students) who are physically located not too far from each other or the lab tech, the telephone may also be an option.

When choosing and implementing a communications back-channel arrangement for your students, the following process is recommended:



1. Taking into account the bandwidth implications, comfort level and communications preferences of your students, select one or two possible back-channel communications service options.

2. Consult with the RWSL techs to determine/confirm which communication arrangement will best serve your students as they work with the RWSL.

3. Inform your students well before any RWSL lab begins so they can acquire the necessary accounts and practice using the communications set-up for this class .

4. Advise your students to use the recommended communications set up to contact each other and the RWSL tech on duty about 10 or 15 minutes before the lab session is due to begin. This will ensure that everyone is connected and can hear everyone else. The RWSL tech can give the word for the students to begin and should there be issues, everyone will be aware rather than left wondering what happened.

5. You may want to mention to your students that once the lab session is underway, the lab tech will still be available if something goes wrong. However, the tech will have other duties during this time and will only be monitoring in case of problems.

6. Since you will know how your students are communicating during the lab session, you will have the ability to ‘drop in’ to see how they are doing and respond to questions.

Once the lab session is over, the RWSL tech will drop out of the back-channel. The students can carry on discussing the experiment with each other if they wish.

SCHEDULING YOUR STUDENTS’ LAB TIMES

A variety of different options may be employed to schedule your students’ time in the RWSL. Since most labs require a lab technician to be present, access may only be available during the technician’s working hours. Consult your institution to find out how lab time is scheduled for your RWSL installation; also determine whether the instructor schedules student access times or whether students (or student lab groups) can schedule their own times.

WORKING WITH VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS

RWSL presents an on-screen instrument panel to enable you to control lab equipment. Whenever possible, the instruments are configured to appear very similar to their traditional counterparts; e.g. to turn the instrument on, you push the ‘on’ button. In other cases, the instruments will be different but relatively intuitive; e.g. to focus the camera, you click on the ‘zoom in’ or ‘zoom out’ buttons rather than turn a focussing dial. Modern scientific labs often include equipment which incorporates digital displays and controls, so the virtual instrumentation experienced by students using RWSL may already be familiar.



MODULAR CONFIGURATION OF RWSL

The following information is provided to help you understand how the RWSL is constructed and how it can be modified for a very wide variety of distance-delivered labs. You don’t need to know this in order to teach with RWSL, but you may find the information interesting if you hope to design labs for remote delivery in the future.

RWSL is a generic software and robotic interface that allows students to interact with actual lab equipment, collecting authentic real-world data in real-time, remotely over the internet. Once the lab equipment is connected to the RWSL unit, the lab can be run for a specified period of time during which students can collect data and complete their lab reports.

Each RWSL node (institution participating in RWSL) consists of:1. a combination of hardware and software essential for the implementation of any RWSL lab

activity (called the Required Base Module)2. additional hardware required to implement specific lab activity(s)

The Required Base Module is the minimum hardware and software required to serve any one RWSL lab to students over the internet. It is required by ALL RWSL labs and includes:

1 Video Streamer 1 Video Mixer 1 PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) Camera 1 UPS 1 Networked Power Bar 1 Lab Computer 1 licence National Instruments Software (LabView) 1 Video Archive Computer

The additional hardware consists of both RWSL support equipment (equipment needed to provide digital access) and lab equipment (spectrometer, microscope, data acquisition equipment, etc.) specific to one lab activity. It may also include special software required for this particular lab. Keep in mind that the RWSL is a physical lab space so one RWSL Lab can be set up in an RWSL unit at a time, although a single RWSL lab set up can be used to support more than one lab exercises.

If you are thinking of designing a new lab for RWSL delivery, you’ll need a Required Base Module as well as lab equipment and support equipment (“support sub-modules”) that will enable this lab equipment to be manipulated digitally.



RWSL Support Sub-modules

RWSL Support Sub-module Name RWSL Lab(s) it is used withVelmex Frame Air TrackVelmex BiSlide & Controller (part of the Velmex Frame)

Magnetic ForcesSpeed of SoundAtomic Spectra (emission Spectra)

Robotic Arm Air TrackAbsorption SpectraSpectrophotometric Determination of Fe in Drinking Water

PTZ Cameras Air Tracke/m Experiment

Scale (0.1 g accuracy) Air TrackScale (0.01 g accuracy) Magnetic ForcesVernier Data Logger Air TrackNational Instruments Hardware(NI CompactDAQ chassisw relay and power supply modules)

Air Track

Audio Mixer Speed of SoundMatsusada RK500-1.6 Power Supply e/m Experiment3A DC Power Supplies e/m Experiment5A DC Power Supply Magnetic ForcesSensorDAQ Determination of

Carbonate/bicarbonate Lab Equipment

Lab Equipment Sub-module Name RWSL Lab(s) it is used with

Microscope MicroscopeNikon Camera MicroscopeSlide Autoloader (Optional) MicroscopeAir Track Air TrackNational Instruments Elvis II Speed of SoundE/M Apparatus e/m ExperimentBasic Current Balance Magnetic Forces



Spectrometer Atomic Spectra (emission spectra)Absorption SpectraSpectrophotometric Determination of Fe in Drinking Water

Discharge Tubes & Power Supply Absorption SpectraAtomic Spectra (emission spectra)

Spectrometer & Cuvette Holder Absorption SpectraSyringe Pumps -Three way solenoid pinch pumps Determination of

Carbonate/bicarbonateOptical flow cell -pH – metric titration (pH Sensor, Drop Counter, Stir Station)

Determination of Carbonate/bicarbonate

RWSL Labs Available (or soon to be available) at Courtenay RWSL Lab (equipment) Lab (equipment) modifications

and configurationsLab Exercises Available

Air Track*1

As is 1-Dimensional Uniform Motion

(Constant Velocity and Acceleration)

As is Conservation of Momentum (1-dimensional 2 body collisions, elastic and inelastic)

As is Conservation of EnergyTitration Apparatus2 As is Determination of

Carbonate/bicarbonateOscilloscope1 As is Determination of the Speed of

Sound with an Oscilloscopee/m Lab*1 As is Determination of the Electron

Charge to Mass RatioMagnetic Force Apparatus As is Magnetic Forces1

Spectrometer Configured for emission spectra* Atomic Spectra*1

Configured for absorption spectra with Cuvette Holder

Spectrophotometric Determination of Fe in Drinking Water1

Configured for absorption spectra DNA Melting2



with DNA melting apparatus and Qpod 2e

Microscope*1 As is Intro to MicroscopyAs is Mitosis and Meiosis

1 done and ready for students2 needs more work, but we have all equipment available* Instructor Training Manual available RWSL Labs Available (or soon to be available) in Colorado RWSL Lab (equipment) Lab (equipment) modifications

and configurationsLab Exercises Available

Air Track*1

As is 1-Dimensional Uniform Motion

(Constant Velocity and Acceleration) These are presented as two separate experiments.

e/m Lab*2 As is None - we have the equipment but it is not set up or available.

Spectrometer Configured for emission spectra* Atomic Spectra*1

Configured for absorption spectra with Qpod 2e

Beer's Law Exercise using solutions of nickel(II) sulfate

Microscope*1 As is Intro to MicroscopyAs is Mitosis and Meiosis

1 done and ready for students2 needs more work, but we have all equipment available* Instructor Training Manual available

Examples of assembled RWSL labs: An RWSL node designed to offer just the Air Track Lab will contain:1) 1 Required Base Module2) Air Track Lab

1. RWSL Support sub-modulesi. Velmex Frame

ii. Robotic Armiii. 3 additional PTZ camerasiv. Scale (0.1 g accuracy)v. Vernier Data Logger

vi. National Instruments Hardware2. Lab Equipment Sub-modules

i. Air track



An RWSL node designed to offer just the Microscope Lab will contain:3) 1 Required Base Module4) Microscope Lab

1. RWSL Support sub-modulesi. none

2. Lab Equipment Sub-modulesi. Microscope

ii. Nikon cameraiii. (optional) Slide Autoloader

REFERENCES

Corter, J.E., Nickerson, J.V., Esche, S.K., & Chassapis, C. (2004). Remote Versus Hands-On Labs: A Comparative Study. In 34th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference. Also available from http://fie-conference.org/fie2004/papers/1160.pdf

Hodson, D. (1998). Is this really what scientists do? in Wellington, J. (Ed.) (1998). Practical Work in School Science. Which Way Now? London: Routledge.

Kennepohl, D. (2007). Using home-laboratory kits to teach general chemistry. Chemistry Education: Research and Practice 8(3), 337-348. Also available online: http://www.rsc.org/images/Kennepohl%20final_tcm18-94354.pdf

Lang, J. (2010). A Research Study to Evaluate a Remote Web-based Science Laboratory. Available: http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/Docs/A%20Research%20Study%20to%20Evaluate%20a%20Remote%20Web-based%20Science%20Laboratory.pdf

Le Couteur, P. (2010) Proposed Guidelines for Laboratory Courses within the British Columbia Transfer System. Published for BCcampus. Available from http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/Docs/Discussion_Paper_Final.pdf

Lowe, D., Murray, S., Li, D. & Lindsay, E. (2008). Remotely Accessible Laboratories – Enhancing Learning Outcomes. Curtin University of Technology Project Report. Available from http://www.altc.edu.au/system/files/resources/grants_project_report_engineering_uts_oct08.pdf

Scanlon, E. Colwell, C., Cooper M. & Di Paolo, T. (2004). Remote experiments, re-versioning and re-thinking. Computers & Education 43 (2004) 153–163. Also available from http://www.cefetrn.br/~zanoni/Arquivos_licenciatura/INSTRUMENTACAO/Remote_experiments_re_versioning_and.pdf


http://www.cefetrn.br/~zanoni/Arquivos_licenciatura/INSTRUMENTACAO/Remote_experiments_re_versioning_and.pdf

http://www.cefetrn.br/~zanoni/Arquivos_licenciatura/INSTRUMENTACAO/Remote_experiments_re_versioning_and.pdf

http://www.altc.edu.au/system/files/resources/grants_project_report_engineering_uts_oct08.pdf

http://www.altc.edu.au/system/files/resources/grants_project_report_engineering_uts_oct08.pdf

http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/Docs/Discussion_Paper_Final.pdf

http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/Docs/A%20Research%20Study%20to%20Evaluate%20a%20Remote%20Web-based%20Science%20Laboratory.pdf

http://rwsl.nic.bc.ca/Docs/A%20Research%20Study%20to%20Evaluate%20a%20Remote%20Web-based%20Science%20Laboratory.pdf

http://www.rsc.org/images/Kennepohl%20final_tcm18-94354.pdf

http://www.rsc.org/images/Kennepohl%20final_tcm18-94354.pdf

http://fie-conference.org/fie2004/papers/1160.pdf

the simple pendulum · web viewin this section, you’ll learn about how the rwsl was developed,...

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