Abstract: Underwater vehicles most of the time operate in environments that normally are inaccessible to humans. They can operate in the depth of the ocean where they have challenging conditions such as: pressure, light and visibility, among others. Collaborative autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) systems provide a possibility to create groups to work as a team and do some specific tasks that generally cannot be done by only one vehicle, saving time and energy in the network. Collaborative approaches aim to improve the response time of the task and save the energy on the network. This paper compares the efficacy and efficiency of three different approaches that use multi-agent systems. All approaches use different zones or clusters of vehicles. The first approach uses a leader AUV responsible for the message propagation, the second uses cluster heads and the third one uses a BDI model (Belief, Desire and Intention) to allow the agents to have a simple human behavior. The results show that the second and third approaches reduce the energy consumed in the network compared with the first approach (leader).

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Abstract: Remote Laboratories are used in educational settings as tools to give students access to experiments that are not physically available to them at their institutions. During implementation, problems such as: bandwidth, security or limitations in terms of the usability, have been identified. This paper proposes an approach that integrates, what we call, a Smart Adaptive Remote Laboratory (SARL) with Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) to improve the students' experience by automatically adapting the experiments according to the student's current level of knowledge and experience. For this purpose, the laboratory experiment is connected with the VLE to access the student profile and academic information. This information is used by the SARL to adapt the educational content and the experimental interfaces accordingly. All students access the same set of equipment, but the adaptive system shows a variation of the graphic user interface with different controls and activities. The VLE provides the assessment component, completing the learning experience. The results of the experiments are stored in the remote laboratory system and sent back to the VLE to update the student information. A Raspberry Pi microcontroller and a web camera are used as hardware of the remote interface. The prototype software platform was implemented using Python and JavaScript languages and HTML 5 interface. The paper presents the design of the remote laboratory, the software integration model, and describes the details about the implementation of the prototype using this SARL strategy.

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Abstract: This research project looks at the usefulness of logic commands, 0’s and 1’s, in real world applications. The goal of this project is to help students see the usefulness of logic design as more than just blinking lights of a breadboard. The problems that wereencountered during the research was finding a way to taking output1 from switches taken for the breadboard, finding a way to check whether the answer taking from the breadboard from the user was incorrect or correct based on the output2 from the circuit, as well program the software to check the users output1 and comparing to the answer stored on the program. A prototype has been designed to show the implementation of the usefulness of logic design.

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Abstract: Recent advances in technology have allowed the development of laboratory experiments that do not require the physical presence of a student in a physical laboratory. These experiments are conducted using the internet, using simulation, or actual control and monitoring of real equipment located remotely, or a hybrid of both. This allows potential sharing of resources that could result in reduction in budgets for equipment, personnel and brick-and-mortal space. Remote labs can facilitate offering lab courses online. Besides the technical challenges, there are safety, security, connectivity and scheduling concerns. The IEEE Education Society has formed a Working Group that is developing the Standard for Networked Smart Learning Objects for Online Laboratories (IEEE-SA P1876). Once the standard is adopted, there will be more opportunities to connect resources among universities, potentially producing distributed online laboratories. This paper looks at the design of a network of remote laboratories for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The LAC regions adds to the complexity of the proposed network because of its great diversity. Languages, educational systems, academic schedules, time zones are just some of the aspects in which the diversity is appreciable. This creates a challenging environment to develop collaborative strategies which generate benefits to all. The Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI) is participating in the IEEE P1876 Standard Working Group; with plans to develop a Remote Laboratories Network for the LAC region, collaborating under the Engineering for the Americas initiative and the OAS Ministers of Science and Technology's Working Group 2: Human Capacity Building and Education. This paper presents some existing networks in the region, and proposes a general design and architecture specification of administrative and technical aspects for the LACCEI network for remote laboratories.

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Abstract: One of the main concerns in development of remote laboratories in academic settings has been the lack of standardization in terms of technology, processes, operation and aspects related to their integration with formal educational environments. Remote laboratories are used in a variety of educational situations, for instance, when the equipment is not available in the physical laboratory, when physically laboratory space available is not sufficient to either set up the experiments or permit access to all students in the course, or when the teacher wants to provide laboratory experiences to students taking courses via distance education. Centers have been forming platforms that provide remote access to a collection of physical experiments that provide alternatives to educational institutions to reduce budgets of not only equipment purchases but also in other expenses such as: people, space, maintenance, and electricity consumption. This paper explains the different types of laboratories and hybrid combinations, and presents Unified Modeling Language (UML) models for remote laboratories in the educational context incorporating learning environments, as well as a model of the user roles that defines user interactions with remote laboratories.

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Abstract: In addition to a high technical level and performance in their discipline, engineers of the 21st century require a high level of general or transferable skills that allow them to excel in their work environment. Engineers at the University of Antioquia in Colombia are no strangers to this situation, which is why the University has decided to face this new condition through the inclusion of activities in courses that support the development of these skills. Part of these activities includes the transformation of the traditional evaluation scheme for Radiofrequency Circuits course in Electrical and Telecommunication Engineering programs. This transformation is been performed taking advantage of the LMS (Learning Management Systems) platforms, web and mobile application and game-based learning techniques. The development of innovative practices that can leverage information and communication technologies is one of the major challenges in education. This paper shows the design of an online game-based assessment and training strategy. The new assessment and training tests were designed to help students improve their learning outcomes on the course topics; meanwhile, they promote development of general or transferable skills such as the ability to solve problems in complex situations and working under pressure.

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Abstract: Online learning tools have allowed professors to carry out their classes in an interactive way, synchronic as well as asynchronic, giving them the opportunity to explore from different points of view specific themes or concepts, achieving greater dynamism in their classes through the active participation of students. This article presents the results of the implementation of an software tool for massive use designed with the objective of allowing Engineering students to strengthen their basic mathematical knowledge as well as to improve their results in courses such as Calculus I and Mathematics I. These courses are part of the first semesters of the syllabus for all undergraduate programs of the School of Engineering, and are basic courses in the formation of an engineer at Universidad EAFIT (Medellin, Colombia). This software tool for massive use allows students to self-diagnose, to solve exercises with different levels of complexity and difficulty, to visualize academic contents such as video classes and virtual resources, and to know their evolution in the understanding of basic concepts in calculus. On one hand, this facilitates the beginning of their studies at the university. On the other, it gives the professor an initial diagnose of the level students have to start the course so that continuous analytics can be performed based on the learning process of the student. Furthermore, this article shows the results of a comparative analysis done to two groups of students, a Control group and an Experimental group, that took Calculus I as part of their undergraduate studies. The experiment lasted two months with testing done at the beginning and at the end of the course. The objective was to register the level of knowledge acquired by the students and compare the differences between the two groups, control and experimental. The testing also allowed the progress of the student between tests to be measured, taking into account that the experimental group had the opportunity to explore the platform during this two-month period. Therefore, the analysis performed served to gather information useful for evaluating the effectiveness of the proposed system in the learning process of the students at the University.

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Abstract: One of the main causes of desertion in engineering programs is the poor student academic performance in basic courses. One of these courses is Statics, which is taught at the undergraduate level. Between 2009 and 2011 about 30% of students did not get a satisfactory grade to pass the course and a high percentage of these students deserted from their engineering program at EAFIT University.

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