The Universal Learning Platform (ULP): A Hybrid IoT-Based Learning Environment for Automatic Device and Circuit Characterization
This paper presents the design, both hardware and software, and hands-on assessment of an IoT Based Learning Environment, constructed around the Universal Learning Platform (ULP), with on-site and remote learning capabilities. The development was based on the urgent necessity of converting the &...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10918974/ |
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| Summary: | This paper presents the design, both hardware and software, and hands-on assessment of an IoT Based Learning Environment, constructed around the Universal Learning Platform (ULP), with on-site and remote learning capabilities. The development was based on the urgent necessity of converting the “Electronic circuit and device automated characterization” laboratory, once with fully on-site presence, into a hybrid attendance one, with full remote capabilities, thus maintaining the same curricula, with a low impact on student and tutor performance. The ULP provides the foundation for several electronics curricula labs, offering the basic measurement instrumentation, multiplexing and circuit reconfiguration, as well as software control prerequisites, that enhance automatic measurements. Additional tailor made application boards to the lab curricular specifics, as well as the measuring instruments interchangeability, were implemented to ensure flexibility towards extensions of the setup by leveraging most of the system components. Circuit analysis allows each hardware and software test setup, to be reconfigured remotely or on-site to characterize desired circuit parameters, ensuring a seamless transition between operations. Additionally, extensive evaluations were conducted on the ULP platform, to verify each developed test setup expected functionality. The educational impact of the ULP-based learning environment was assessed over four years (2020-2024) with 499 bachelor students, showing a pass rate increase from 62% to 91%. A student survey highlighted the intuitive API, easy comprehension of hardware and software components, and a strong industry link in automatic circuit characterization. Students rated the learning environment’s complexity as moderate, consistently preferring on-site interactions. Development of the ULP has the prerequisites of versatility, ease of maintenance and curricula development, offering basic functionality for most of the device and circuit-based laboratories, due to the reduced cost approach. Maintaining the remote capabilities of the learning environment proves to be beneficial for providing unattended remote access to the teaching premises for leveraging research and extending the curricular activities. |
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| ISSN: | 2169-3536 |