Web Services Remote Educational Laboratory

Abstract ¾ Our Internet enabled laboratory, Lab-on-Web, is dedicated to remote, educational experimentation on electronic devices and circuits. It has evolved over several years and different system solutions have been tested. Here, we report on the recent adaptation of the Web Services standards to Lab -on-Web, implemented by means of the . NET framework by Microsoft. This framework allows for a strong integration between backbone programs, web applications, and services such as modern learning management systems. Other important properties intrinsic to Web Services and . NET are, for example, system stability, platform independence, excess control, rapid development, and interoperability with other applications. Index Terms ¾ Remote laboratory, Web Services, Semiconductor, Instrumentation I NTRODUCTION Laboratory experiments are a vital part of engineering and science education. The concept of making educational laboratory experiments available to students over the Internet has been around for many years, and several groups have realized proof-of-principle versions, some of which have even been adopted in university courses [1]. Obvious benefits can be derived in terms of sharing expensive facilities between institutions and in terms of flexibility for the students, allowing expensive hardware resources to be utilized far more efficiently than with traditional hands-on laboratories. Although the virtues of traditional laboratory work within many disciplines of engineering and science are unquestionable, there is a trend in the operation of advanced electronics instruments away from turning knobs to using menu oriented interfaces where the interaction takes place via display screens. From there, the leap to remote operation via the Internet using a computer interface at the client side is not so big. The idea of sharing laboratory resources between institutions has prompted collaborative efforts such as eMerge, a project sponsored by EU's Socrates/Minerva program, where the integration of partner laboratory facilities into a coordinated network is explored [2]. Within this project, the technical and educational potentials of this new technology are also important issues to be investigated. In many respects, the Internet laboratory technology is still in its infancy. The approach so far has been to use basic scripting or backend programs to support access to instruments and experiments. Common experiments are then visualized through applets or static HTML controls to provide the clients with the necessary functionality to perform their experimental tasks. However, based on our experiences so far, we now see great benefits by rigid adherence to accepted standards for exchange of middleware services via the Internet, such as the Web Services open standards. Presently, Lab-on-Web utilizes Web Services interfaces within Microsoft's . NET framework hosted by a Windows 2003 server. The basic functionality of Lab-on-Web is illustrated in Figure 1. The above features open the way for Internet laboratories to become part of an even wider learning context, for example, through integration and interoperability with modern Learning Management Systems (LMS). An LMS is a powerful tool for enhancing learning processes and managing course resources. Such tools provide the organizational aids to the rather unmanageable amount of resources available on the Internet. The integration of independent resources, such as Internet laboratories, into a uniform, platform-independent environment will enhance teachers' ability to compound desired resources into course folders. At the same time, it enables students to easily navigate between the different resources (individual experiments, instruments, simulation tools, texts, etc.) within the same learning environment.