Mechatronics E-course for regular students and adults: Realization and comparison of efficiency

This paper describes execution and gained experience with two practically oriented E-courses from mechatronics. Both courses have in common that they include remote experiments and are executed completely online, which is still rarity in the practically oriented engineering education, especially in non-university education. The execution details and educational approach applied in each course were adjusted to two specific target groups. The target groups of a first course `Control of nonlinear mechanisms´ is a group of regular local and regular international students of mechatronics. The target group of second course `Basics of mechatronics´ are employed and unemployed adult professionals from various engineering fields who have already finished their formal education but want to acquire new knowledge. For both courses interactive E-materials and E-tests in Slovene, English and partially also in German language are available within two learning portals, also adjusted to the needs of each target groups. First course was tested with 40 regular students and the second course with the group of 70 adult professionals mostly from industry. While adult professionals appreciated the fact that the course was executed completely online, the regular students have still preferred conventional lectures and especially conventional laboratory exercises over remote ones. Based on the teaching instructor´s observances and on the results of anonymous questionnaires, the advantages and disadvantages of the replacement of traditional laboratories with remote laboratories are discussed from a critical point of view.