{"id":67738,"date":"2020-07-15T16:49:57","date_gmt":"2020-07-15T20:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=67738"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:59:28","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:59:28","slug":"engineering-remote-learning","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/engineering-remote-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Engineering Hands-on Experience in a Time of Remote Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Engineering Hands-on Experience in a Time of Remote Learning\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Following the unexpected shift to online learning this spring, multiple academic units within Carleton University\u2019s Faculty of Engineering and Design<\/a> began developing enhanced strategies for remote education to ensure \u201chands-on\u201d experiential learning remains a key element of studying online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During Carleton\u2019s 2020 summer term, both the Department of Electronics<\/a> and Department of Systems and Computer Engineering<\/a> launched unique remote learning initiatives that enable students to experience authentic lab sessions from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Screenshot from ECOR 1052 tutorial on how to work with an oscilloscope remotely.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Within the Department of Electronics, students in select summer courses can now remotely access tools and equipment required to complete lab work online. After logging on to a secure Carleton server from home, students are granted access to specialized software which they can use to run simulations and interact with on-campus lab hardware in real-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt first, some students assumed everything was a simulation,\u201d says Nagui Mikhail, computer systems and physical facilities manager in the Department of Electronics. \u201cThey did not realize they were actually interacting with real lab equipment here at Carleton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the server, students can connect to a lab computer which becomes their personal workstation during lab hours, meaning no other student can access their circuit design. Each station also includes a Raspberry Pi programming board, along with a webcam that allows students to view feedback in real-time. Additional webcams also enable students to see the broader lab environment.<\/p>\n\n\n