A Methodology to Obtain Learning Effective Laboratories with Learning Management System Integration

Abstract

Abstract: Online laboratories are useful and valuable resources in high education, especially in engineering studies. This work presents a methodology to create effective laboratories for learning that interact with a Learning Management System (LMS) to achieve advanced integration. It is based on pedagogical aspects and considers not only the laboratory application itself but also related resources that complement it. The methodology is flexible, covers all possible cases, and it is structured in stages that can be used with any system architecture, standards, or type of online laboratory (virtual, remote, or hybrid) because it abstracts technical aspects at a high level. This methodology facilitates the creation of new online labs so that any teacher, even those without specialized knowledge, can clarify many of the questions that may arise and gain understanding of how to implement an effective online laboratory with LMS integration to assist learning. As an example and validation of the methodology, this work describes a laboratory developed as a Shared Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) package which is hosted in the institutional LMS at the University of Jaen. The laboratory was presented to 338 students taking an Industrial Automation class, and student evaluations were quite positive.