Infrastructure for remotely accessible laboratories at the University of Southern Queensland

Abstract

[Abstract]: Technological developments during the last two decades have made it possible for educational institutions to establish systems for the remote access of hardware and software resources. Teaching staff have come to recognise the benefits of laboratories that can be remotely accessed. Remote access of hardware and software resources is of particular interest to the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) because of its high proportion of distance mode students. Work towards setting up remotely accessible laboratories at USQ started in 2007. This paper reports on the University’s remote laboratory communication infrastructure and the reasoning behind its configuration. It also provides details of the various techniques that are being used for interfacing with laboratory hardware. The paper includes a discussion on the initial experience of staff and students using the remote access system and what is being done to improve user experience.