LaSiTo: A lathe simulated virtual laboratory

Engineering students need to practice and carry out experiments in laboratories to complement their learning process. However, instructors and equipment are not always available. Additionally, there may be risk and trouble using some equipment that may hurt students or damage the equipment. A generic architecture based on probabilistic relational models to combine virtual laboratories with intelligent tutoring systems had been developed, and applied it in some domains. Based on this generic architecture, a lathe simulated virtual laboratory has been developed, giving the students knowledge and skills to use safely a lathe. An initial evaluation with technician high school students has been concluded. The results show that: (i) the students feel that interaction with the virtual laboratory increase their skills and learning, (ii) students increase their awareness of security rules when they used a real lathe, and (iii) the effort to develop the software is considerably reduced using the generic architecture.