Industry 4.0 Ready: Transforming STEM Laboratory Courses – Continuous Distillation as Example

Laboratory courses are key to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in higher education, but often lack the flexibility for distance learning and inclusiveness for all students. To address these challenges, TU Bergakademie Freiberg introduced remote laboratories not only for international degree programs and the “Disti4Study” application, which provides interactive visualization of industrial thermal separation processes. This paper focuses on the development and didactic challenges associated with the “Continuous Distillation Laboratory”. It illustrates how rethinking the technical and didactic frameworks of traditional laboratories can align with new learning objectives, such as those related to Industry 4.0, including the Internet of Things and data management.