Remote implementation of microcomputers laboratory practices: A case study

In the current pandemic era of COVID-19, almost all higher learning institutions had been forced to undergo abrupt transformation of instructional delivery mode, from faceto- face to online distance learning, within a short period of time. While lectures and tutorials can be easily carried out online using existing teleconferencing software, conducting a virtual laboratory class still remains a challenge. In addition, many academic institutions found it financially challenging to implement remote laboratory systems in such economically difficult times. Therefore, a low-cost remote laboratory experiment was implemented in unit CMPE2003 Microcomputers, at Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Curtin University Malaysia. Although this paper does not claim to be the first to introduce such an implementation, it aims to identify and present some key issues concerning running remote laboratory activities without the use of any advanced tools. Also, in this case study, a survey was conducted to evaluate students’ level of satisfaction regarding aspects pertaining to their learning experience on the remote laboratory.