Web Lab: A New Approach To Undergraduate Me Laboratory Training At Georgia Tech

This paper describes the development and implementation of Internet-based technologies into a required undergraduate laboratory course, ME3056, at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The education of a large group of undergraduates (120 per semester) in laboratory techniques through hands on experience is a challenge to educators and institutions in many ways. This includes providing laboratory space, providing resources for equipment and graduate teaching assistants, and providing sufficient student time in the laboratory. ME3056 is a laboratory course in experimental methodology that focuses on the experimental process, teamwork, laboratory and instrumentation skills, data analysis, and proper presentation of results. It touches on all major areas within mechanical engineering, thus encompassing a wide range of subject matter. The students are divided into groups of 12. Each group has two required hours of laboratory time per week with a third optional hour available. This makes pre-laboratory student preparation critical. WebLab was developed as a pre-lab training tool so that the students would be familiar with the operation of complex equipment and procedures prior to their laboratory time. This has shifted the focus of the student's laboratory time from becoming familiar with the equipment to using the equipment to collect quality data. The organization of the course, integration of WebLab and WebCT, and the effect of Internet-based technologies on the students' experience are discussed.