EOLES Project...Teaching Unit experiences

EOLES Project...Teaching Unit experiences

Manuel Gericota, A. Fidalgo, P. Ferreira - School of Engineering/Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal

Denis Barataud, Guillaume Andrieu - Université de Limoges, FranceRenaat De Craemer - KU Leuven University, Ostend, BelgiumMihai Cristea - University Politehnica of Bucharest, RomaniaAbdelhalim Benachenhou - University of Mostaganem, AlgeriaMohammed Ankrim - University Cadi Ayad of Marrakech, MoroccoKarim Bouchlaghem - University of Kairouan, Tunisia

1This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The EOLES project

• a 3-year European TEMPUS project• from October 2012 to October 2015

• 15 institutions• 4 from Europe – France, Portugal, Belgium and Romania• 11 from North Africa - Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia

• the goal

L3-EOLES (Electronics and Optics e-Learning for Embedded Systems) course

a fully on-line 3rd year Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Optics for Embedded Systems

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Course preparation

• Program definition• Technical units content and schedule definition• Functional e-Learning 2.0 framework definition• Development of the virtual and remote labs• Preparatory courses for instructors and technicians• Preparation of class and study materials• Preparation of the practical and lab assignments• Course accreditation• Students’ selection and enrolling

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Technical units content and schedule definition

• 14 technical units (TUs) divided in three groups• fundamental sciences – including mathematics and physics• applied sciences - digital and analogue electronics,

electromagnetic waves, digital signal processing, instrumentation and optics

• complementary soft skills - communication techniques in English and business management

• 3 optional units• preparatory TUs to level students’ knowledge in critical topics for

the course• students with very different knowledge backgrounds may apply to

be enrolled in this program

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Preparation of class and study materials

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• asynchronous (prerecorded video) lectures• instructor explains the theoretical basis of a subject

• interspersed with self-evaluation questions• multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, matching exercises• main goal to keep students’ attention• students may review the material anytime, any number of

times, without restrictions• different sources of information• supporting materials for lectures• freely downloadable companion book• web links → specialized information + complementary data

TU05-Digital Electronics forEmbedded Systems

• 21 pre-recorded asynchronous classes with a duration never exceeding 20 minutes• Interspersed with self-evaluation quizzes, composed of

multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blanks, matching exercises.

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• A range of other materials is also available to support the study• Tutorial classes were synchronous classes based on the use of

a web conferencing tool.

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• Students are more used to interactive classes

• Recorded classes are more time efficient

• Interactive classes are required to clarify doubts

• Student participation in interactive classes is very diverse,

• Additional asynchronous resources (forums, emails) are necessary

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Development of the virtual and remote labs

• remote laboratory → two kinds of Practical Works• virtual experimentation using professional software

accessible in an application server or in open access• real remote laboratory experiments → real-time monitoring

and control of technical equipment at distance

• the most innovative part of the remote laboratory• each hardware setup (function generator or oscilloscope, for

instance) is connected to the internet• from TU’s Moodle page students have access to the related

lab’s webpage and to the TUs’ proposed lab works

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Development of the virtual and remote labs• students change the hardware configuration in real-time,

having an immediate feedback of their actions

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• via remotely deployed virtual instrument interfaces

• through a high-definition camera (or other interface)

Course accreditation

• L3-EOLES course was accredited by the national educational authorities of France, Morocco and Tunisia

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Students’ selection and enrolling

• number of applicants for the first edition• 660 candidates from Morocco, 15 from Tunisia, 10 from

Algeria, one from Senegal and one from France

• all students are enrolled in the University of Limoges + one of the accredited Universities of their choice in their home countries all successful students received receive the Joint Diploma

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The first edition 2014-15

• 24 students from Morocco and 1 student from Tunisia enrolled on the course

• 11 students successfully concluded the courses and got the diploma

• 42 teachers were involved

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Conclusions

• L3-EOLES course• first fully on-line undergraduate course in Electronics and

Optics for Embedded Systems recognized by the educational authorities in several countries at the same time• first to deliver a Joint Diploma recognized in the whole

European Higher Education Area

• EOLES consortium successfully addressed the lack of a framework for remote experimental labs• enables on-line undergraduate degree courses in Electrical

and Computer Engineering

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Conclusions

• the official recognition of L3-EOLES course• permits to ensure its financial sustainability• with the accreditation it became part of the educational

system for which institutional funds are available

• agreement signed by all partners of the EOLES consortium established the rules regarding• the Joint Diploma• the access to the learning resources• the use of the remote laboratory • the maintenance of the equipment

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beyond the end of the EOLES project

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http://www.eoles.eu/engineering a brighter future anywhere