Web Based Engineering Education

The use of Internet for distance education has received increasing attention over the past few years. But the real challenge of adapting this technology for engineering education is to facilitate the laboratory experiments via Internet. This paper discusses the software and hardware requirements of virtual courses/laboratories to provide interactive environment for designing and conducting classes/experiments. The examples provided demonstrate a virtual laboratory for Electrical Engineering courses and shows how similar laboratories can be implemented for other courses like Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and System Engineering etc. In a traditional university environment, virtual labs can also improve the Engineering curricula in a cost effective way by establishing a timely connection between theory and practice. The obstacles in introducing engineering education via digital media are also discussed.