Work in Progress: Online Electrical Engineering Laboratories Sessions: Analysis, Challenges, and Border Environment

ABSTRACT

The global COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the adoption of online delivery methods supported by accessible technologies, applications, and academic learning platforms. There is a larger demand for remote courses by companies, universities, and grade schools. Distance education has become one of the learning options most used by universities, where interactive learning is available. Students can also review the content of the courses on a Learning Management System (LMS) and study in their own time, supplemented with face-to-face or remote tutoring sessions in case of specific doubts. Online education is focused on learning content more than the communication between students and tutors. At the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, we have additional challenges due to the USA and Mexico border's geographic location because some of our students are living in Mexico, and we are supporting them virtually. The delivery of online laboratories was implemented using remote access to the equipment in the university's physical laboratories;moreover, students acquired portable equipment designed to work at home, creating an environment similar to a real laboratory but with some limitations. Students opted for one method or another depending on vendor availability or their resources. This paper explores the differences, as well as the limitations, between the tools used for distance learning in the circuit's laboratories. As a case of study, there is a comparison between face-to-face and remote laboratory sessions and personal laboratory at home scenarios. Also, the paper describes the students' benefits and challenges and the response of students due to geographic limitations. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021