The Application of IoT layer one Based Mobile Labs in Engineering, Science and Technology Education

Abstract

Most technical courses mainly in engineering, science and technology, have always been taught using very expensive equipment usually stationed in a particular lab setup in the university with students accessing these labs in groups. The problem is even compounded further in the case where the number of students is high in a class. This paper discusses the use of a mobile lab being a simple, inexpensive and portable kit to undertake practicals in the fields of engineering, science and technology a case study of digital electronics, computer organization, networking and operating systems that are done by students in these fields. The study involved the development of IoT layer one based kit in terms of hardware and software support together with its actual use in a classroom setup. For full implementation, a laptop or a smartphone are also required. The first group of students, who were requested to do an evaluation of the kit at the end of the semester, was undertaking computer science. The results were quite positive showing the link between IoT and a classroom setup making it easy for the students to relate what they learn in class and the many IoT related actual real life applications.