Although augmented reality (AR) has gained much research attention in recent years, the term AR was given different meanings by varying researchers. In this article, we first provide an overview of definitions, taxonomies, and technologies of AR. We argue that viewing AR as a concept rather than a type of technology would be more productive for educators, researchers, and designers. Then we identify certain features and affordances of AR systems and applications. Yet, these compelling features may not be unique to AR applications and can be found in other technological systems or learning environments (e.g., ubiquitous and mobile learning environments). The instructional approach adopted by an AR system and the alignment among technology design, instructional approach, and learning experiences may be more important. Thus, we classify three categories of instructional approaches that emphasize the ''roles,'' ''tasks,'' and ''locations,'' and discuss what and how different categories of AR approaches may help students learn. While AR offers new learning opportunities, it also creates new challenges for educators. We outline technological, pedagogical, learning issues related to the implementation of AR in education. For example, students in AR environments may be cognitively overloaded by the large amount of information they encounter, the multiple technological devices they are required to use, and the complex tasks they have to complete. This article provides possible solutions for some of the challenges and suggests topics and issues for future research.

Current status, opportunities and challenges of augmented reality in education

Digital processing of speech signals

A communication infrastructure is an essential part to the success of the emerging smart grid. A scalable and pervasive communication infrastructure is crucial in both construction and operation of a smart grid. In this paper, we present the background and motivation of communication infrastructures in smart grid systems. We also summarize major requirements that smart grid communications must meet. From the experience of several industrial trials on smart grid with communication infrastructures, we expect that the traditional carbon fuel based power plants can cooperate with emerging distributed renewable energy such as wind, solar, etc, to reduce the carbon fuel consumption and consequent green house gas such as carbon dioxide emission. The consumers can minimize their expense on energy by adjusting their intelligent home appliance operations to avoid the peak hours and utilize the renewable energy instead. We further explore the challenges for a communication infrastructure as the part of a complex smart grid system. Since a smart grid system might have over millions of consumers and devices, the demand of its reliability and security is extremely critical. Through a communication infrastructure, a smart grid can improve power reliability and quality to eliminate electricity blackout. Security is a challenging issue since the on-going smart grid systems facing increasing vulnerabilities as more and more automation, remote monitoring/controlling and supervision entities are interconnected.

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1315&context=electricalengineeringfacpub

A Survey on Smart Grid CommunicationInfrastructures: Motivations, Requirements andChallenges

Advantages and challenges associated with augmented reality for education: A systematic review of the literature

Two previous literature review-based studies have provided important insights into mobile learning, but the issue still needs to be examined from other directions such as the distribution of research purposes. This study takes a meta-analysis approach to systematically reviewing the literature, thus providing a more comprehensive analysis and synthesis of 164 studies from 2003 to 2010. Major findings include that most studies of mobile learning focus on effectiveness, followed by mobile learning system design, and surveys and experiments were used as the primary research methods. Also, mobile phones and PDAs are currently the most widely used devices for mobile learning but these may be displaced by emerging technologies. In addition, the most highly-cited articles are found to focus on mobile learning system design, followed by system effectiveness. These findings may provide insights for researchers and educators into research trends in mobile learning.

Review of trends from mobile learning studies: A meta-analysis

This article reports on the design and development of a new set of remotely controlled electronics experiments oriented to postgraduates and apprentices. Industrial-related issues are emphasized to allow understanding of the behavior of electronics components. The experiments are fully delivered online with a high level of flexibility. Remote retrieved results are provided. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 23:327–336, 2015; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.21602

Novel design and development of advanced remote electronics experiments

An educational remote laboratory is a software and hardware tool that allows students to remotely access real equipment located in the university as if they were in a hands-on-lab session. Federations of remote laboratories have existed for years: they are based on enabling two universities to exchange remote laboratories directly, without registering students of the latter on the former university. Integration of remote laboratories on Learning Management Systems (LMS) or Content Management Systems (CMS) have also been addressed in the past, enabling institutions to delegate the authentication or authorization of the experiments to the LMS/CMS. However, these integrations are usually achieved in an ad hoc way, integrating each particular laboratory to a LMS/CMS. This contribution studies the use of federation models to integrate remote laboratory management systems in LMS/CMSs, since both approaches (integrating a laboratory on an a external electronic learning tool, and integrating a laboratory on other laboratory) are essentially equivalent. The contribution defines two case studies to evaluate this approach, showing how this integration is achieved on a LMS (Moodle) and on a CMS (Joomla).

Modelling remote laboratories integrations in e-learning tools through remote laboratories federation protocols

Universities and educational organizations or institutions, when designing any electronics course, trust in experimentation through laboratory practices in order to build successful cross-curricular capabilities and capacities. In electronics courses there is a need to have practical experiences, the benefits of electronics laboratory practices are widely known for professionals and necessary for any person who seeks for a broad comprehension of the real-time performance beyond the ideal modelling. Therefore, when designing any electronics course, the laboratory practices are one of the pillars on which the learning is established. Distance education has become widespread in the last decade and has fostered lifelong learning and continuing education patterns, allowing access to learning resources at any time and from everywhere. It has been possible thanks to the internet development and technologies associated with learning tools for a new teaching pedagogy. To support life-long learning and students' autonomous learning activities, remote experimentation has become a challenge in electronics courses; rather, the way the universities and educational organizations or institutions deliver remote experimentation to students in distance learning environments, has become a challenge. Nowadays, there is an extensive variety for providing theoretical contents in distance learning (videos, documents, tutorials, scaffolding activities, peer-to-peer reviews, forums, etc.) to students. These tools, by an efficiently and appropriate selection from professors and use from students, can complement or replace successfully in-person education, even they can reach some aspects that in-person education cannot achieve. Unfortunately, practical issues are not as developed as theoretical ones are. A first approach to this problem is clearly the use of simulators and virtual labs. Although, they are still a bit far from providing to student the real performance and features of equipment under real-life operation conditions. The major challenge is the provision of laboratory working online along with the theoretical contents in a massive context.

Remote laboratories for electronics and new steps in learning process integration

Educational robotics applied to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities combined with a project-based learning (PBL) methodology provides quite good results. Throughout this work it is described how to make use of Scratch, a visual programming environment, as a cost-effective tool with great potential for students to work on concepts related to robotics. When students work with Scratch, they can develop animations or video games in which real life applications are simulated. In this paper you can find the description of the intermediate Scratch module. This module is part of an introductory robotics course consisting of the use of three tools (Scratch, Crumble and Arduino) and three difficulty levels (basic, intermediate and advanced). In addition, the results obtained for the Intermediate Scratch module and a discussion of the most important aspects related to the findings obtained are also provided.

STEM and Educational Robotics Using Scratch

There are many necessities that need to be improved in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. The robotics represents a promising educational tool. Nowadays, robotic education tools arise with the aim of promoting the innovation and the motivation of the students during the learning process. Robots are becoming more common in our daily life; thus, it is important to integrate robots at all levels of our society. The aim of this paper is to present the use of Scratch - a widely-used tool - in order to guide educational robotics as the first step in introducing students into robotics. The robotics requires several skills such as systems thinking, programming mindset, active learning, mathematics, science, judgement and decision making, good communication, technology design, complex problem solving and persistence. These skills can be easily developed using Scratch. The obtained outcomes from the educational robotic course demonstrate how children without previous experience in programming or robotics can start learning both through experiences in the classroom. The result of this work shows that it is better to make very easy challenges, to adapt the difficulty to each of the children. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop previous concepts. Moreover, it is necessary to work the design, instead of programming directly. Additionally, it is important to combine theory and practice with the aim of including fun tasks intertwined with the challenges that are posed to apply theory in problem solving.

Elio Sancristobal

Papers

Novel design and development of advanced remote electronics experiments

Modelling remote laboratories integrations in e-learning tools through remote laboratories federation protocols

Remote laboratories for electronics and new steps in learning process integration

STEM and Educational Robotics Using Scratch

Scratch as Educational Tool to Introduce Robotics