hands-on software engineering labs via the web: game changing in online education

The paper addresses the issue of offering hands-on engineering labs via the web. The hands-on feature refers to the functionality of the lab, which is preserved whether the lab experiments are done over the web or with student’s physical presence in the lab. After an extensive review of remote labs, examples of lab stations are described from the area of software engineering, where software development is done remotely and then software modules are uploaded and tested on the lab stations. This type of lab can be called invasive, since the essential element of an experiment is the replacement or modification of the software module controlling the remote equipment. This is in contrast to regular remote labs, which are non-invasive. Two lab stations are presented in more detail, one for a wireless sensor network and another for a remotely accessible microcontroller. Several observations are made regarding the usefulness of this technology and prospects of adoption in software engineering programs.