Using a remote emulated laboratory in a Distributed Information Systems course

The new European Higher Education System, which is being already implemented in European universities, is very demanding in terms of methodologies that increase students´ involvement in the courses. Although new laboratory activities (remote, virtual, etc.) offer several advantages, traditional hands-on labs are still the most common methodology. This paper describes the experience of using a remote emulated laboratory for the Distributed Information Systems course in the Telematics Engineering degree. The educational value, benefits, and weaknesses of the remote emulated laboratory experience are assessed by the students´ feedback through anonymous questionnaires, and by the students´ final grades. Results show that doing lab activities through a remote emulated platform is not a complex activity from the students´ perspective. Moreover, students´ motivation was increased by varying the laboratory routine, and students´ acquisition of knowledge was more consistent. The surveys demonstrated that students´ attitude towards new lab approaches is very positive, and success in the final written exam improved almost 30%. Nevertheless, remote emulated labs do not completely cover all benefits of the hands-on labs, so both types should be integrated so that students benefit from the inherent characteristics of both of them.