Abstract:

Introduction:
In times of limited and tightly scheduled access to laboratory facilities, a remote laboratory presents a great solution. The virtualization of the lab allows students to flexibly access experimental resources from home. This approach not only addresses time constraints but also provides space for individual learning styles, as students can now conduct experiments independently of fixed lab hours. This paper represents initial insights of students’ opinions of a remote robotics lab as part of the DistLab project at the University of Applied Sciences in Stralsund, Germany.

Methodology:
In this part of the project, we conducted a cohort study with students from Stralsund University of Applied Sciences and Freiberg University of Mining and Technology within a course of robotics. The lectures at both universities were conducted independently. However, all students were required to develop programs using Robot Operating System (ROS), which were subsequently tested on the playground, consisting of various aspects of autonomous driving. The playground is based on the Turtlebot AutoRaceChallenge. The students worked in small groups, with each group assigned a time slot in the laboratory to address questions to the lab assistant. At the end of the semester, all student groups were required to present their programs, similar to a competition. Afterwards, they were asked to evaluate their experience, using an online questionnaire. The results were analyzed separately by university. It should be noted that the levels of knowledge in ROS programming among students from both universities differed.

Results:
A total of 30 students participated in this study, 18 of them from the Stralsund University of Applied Sciences and 12 from the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology. The results indicate a notable difference in motivation between the students from both universities. Students from Freiberg demonstrated higher motivation, spending more time to the semester project even beyond the designated lab hours. Conversely, a majority of students from Stralsund expressed a desire for more time in the lab. In addition to the physical playground, students had the option to use a simulation. A majority of students from Stralsund did use this option, finding the simulation beneficial. However, students from Freiberg have used the simulation less frequently. Despite these variations, students from both universities agreed that their interest in and understanding of the topic had increased due to the innovative remote experience. Furthermore, students mentioned challenges relating to light and reflections.

Conclusions:
The students’ opinions indicate satisfaction with this remote robotic lab, as it presents a potential solution for enhancing students' interest and understanding. However, the motivation could still be improved. We are planning to conduct an empirical evaluation, considering specific hypotheses in the next cohort. The challenges and opinions mentioned above will be considered.

Keywords:

Remote lab, robotics, evaluation, Turtlebot.