Virtual Labs Project: A Paradigm Shift in Internet-Based Remote Experimentation

The lack of good and up-to-date lab experiments form a major impediment in the domain of engineering education. Often, the lab experiments are outdated. The Virtual Labs project addresses the issue of lack of good lab facilities, as well as trained teachers, by making remote experimentation possible. The pedagogy is student-centric. The Virtual Labs project has also developed a novel methodology for field trials, outreach, and quality control. Virtual Labs also provide tremendous cost advantage. The Virtual Labs project is a wonderful example of an open educational resource developed by a multiinstitution multidiscipline project team. Over 100000 students are currently using the online labs under the Virtual Labs project. Many of these labs are being accessed outside the regular lab hours.