LabNet – Application Scenarios

Duration: April 2023 – May 2024
Status: Completed
Educational Level: Special Needs Education, Primary Level, Lower Secondary Level, Upper Secondary Level – Vocational Training, Upper Secondary Level – Grammar School Education, Tertiary Level
Topic: Digital Tools
Keywords: Laboratory Network

Initital Situation

Learning laboratories, and in particular maker spaces, are learning environments that often provide specialised hardware or software. Accordingly, the operation of a learning laboratory or maker space is resource intensive. If one wishes to offer a broad range of services, substantial investments are required and suitable infrastructure — especially in terms of premises — is needed. Once a learning laboratory is established, throughput is comparatively low because inductions must take place or devices such as 3D printers work relatively slowly. If as a user you want to visit a learning laboratory, you must find an appropriate offer and visit it. This entails considerable planning — especially in the school context — and a significant time investment. The problem can be mitigated if existing learning laboratories join a network, a LabNet, and offer for example the following services:

1. Provision of offers developed at one location to other locations in the LabNet. As many information and offers as possible should be available online or virtually.
2. Collaboration between the different learning laboratories and also communication with users should primarily be conducted by hybrid communication. The need for travel is eliminated, thereby enlarging the potential participant group.
3. Offering courses distributed across multiple locations.
4. Remote maker space: remote access to devices and experiments.

In the “LabNet – Open Laboratory Network” project, a concept for such a LabNet was developed and application scenarios for universities and schools as users of a LabNet were created. In the project, the application scenarios were not implemented, but only described conceptually. Accordingly, there were no practical experiences in their implementation. Likewise, communication settings, which are also a supporting pillar of the LabNet concept, could not be developed, deployed and optimised. The communication settings are necessary to implement the LabNet paradigm “overcoming distances”. When an on site meeting is not possible, the exchange should take place in an application appropriate manner via video and audio channels. In this regard, collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom are generally used. A distinction is made between online communication and hybrid communication

In online communication, only one person is present at each location, while in hybrid communication several people are present at at least one location. Hybrid communication is more demanding, but corresponds more closely to real application scenarios. Interaction in a learning laboratory is varied. It may be a simple discussion between two people. But two project groups may also meet to present their real products in action and use a simulation for exploration alongside. This variety must be reflected and enabled in online and hybrid communication settings. Accordingly, a set of online and hybrid communication settings is required. For simple communication, a simple setting is available, and for more complex exchange scenarios the appropriate one can be chosen from between various more elaborate settings.

Ziele

Researchers from PHBern and BFH came together in the “LabNet – Application Scenarios” project to develop answers to the two core questions:

• How can making projects be implemented as an application scenario in a school?
• What might a set of online communication settings for compulsory schools look like?

and to also examine the developed concepts in practice.

Method

For collaboration with schools, “making projects” were designed. Among the various manufacturing processes used, the laser cutter was selected as the device that is not available in schools and whose use only takes place remotely in the LabSpace at PHBern. For the remote use of the device, various hybrid communication settings were developed and tested in the making projects. For using an unfamiliar device in a making project it is particularly important for pupils to be introduced to the device and its capabilities, as they lack experience. Accordingly, the introduction of the laser cutter must be sufficiently broad. In addition to the device itself, positive and negative product examples and also the design workflow from idea to manufacturing file must be able to be presented. The making projects were carried out in three schools in various classes (Cycle 2 and 3). Afterwards, guided interviews were conducted with the participating teachers. To capture the pupils’ perspective, a worksheet with reflection questions was developed. On it the pupils in groups shared their insights into working with the manufacturing methods and collaborating with the project team.

Results

Hybrid Communication Settings
In the project, five communication settings were developed that allow the use of modern manufacturing processes such as 3D printers or laser cutters in making projects which are not available at the school, but made usable by a learning laboratory via hybrid communication. These settings offer various advantages and challenges and enable schools, depending on their specific needs and resources, to select the appropriate solution.

Making Projects
In three schools, making projects were implemented in various classes. They aimed to provide access to modern manufacturing processes such as 3D printing, laser cutting and plotter cutting. In the projects, three of the five developed hybrid communication settings were tested. The goal was to overcome spatial distances by combining online communication and direct contact, thereby ensuring flexible and location independent supervision of the projects.

Evaluation
After conducting the making projects, the implementation of the LabNet paradigm “overcoming distances” was evaluated in order to determine its added value for schools. The evaluation was carried out through interviews with teachers and reflection worksheets for pupils. Hybrid communication, a combination of virtual and physical presence, was described as helpful, although technical challenges such as synchronising image and sound were encountered. The personal on site contact was preferred by the pupils.

The project feedback was largely positive, as participation was experienced as enriching and motivating, despite the sometimes substantial supervisory effort and technical problems. For future projects, it was recommended to focus on individual manufacturing processes and to utilise a flexible offer of a LabNet that includes both devices and teaching materials. In this way a decision can be made individually whether to use only the teaching materials, or only the device offer, or both. The pupils reflected on their experiences and reported successes in acquiring new skills as well as challenges in working precisely and handling materials. For future projects the pupils would sometimes design more creatively and on a larger scale and plan better.

Implemented Translation

The “Think Tank Medien und Informatik” (TTIM) of PHBern continues to carry out further making projects in compulsory schools in order to further optimise the communication settings and processes.

Participating Institutions