Remote and virtual labs in a distance learning environment

Abstract

Remote and Virtual Labs are currently important research aspects, not only in the European Seventh Framework Programme with its "Technology-enhanced learning" scheme, but also in all levels of education. Especially schools and universities are facing major problems trying to keep up their practical labs and experiments with the industrýs rapid technological development. Modern online versions of cuttingedge technology are necessary to be up- To-date in educating young students. These challenges are especially tough to solve concerning engineering domains, since the therefor required labsare often very expensive. This paper is presenting the ongoing research by a consortium of European universities, mainly involving researchers from Germany and Estonia, dealing with distance learning approaches, to encounter the problems named above.