Annual expenditure on Australian university laboratories is $400 million and some surveys indicate that these laboratories are under-utilised by up to 90 per cent.

Students often combine their full-time studies with many hours of part-time work in an environment where internet access is prevalent and technology is rapidly changing. There are many ways in which technology can support the delivery of education, one being the provision to students of 24/7 remote laboratory access.

Compared with traditional laboratories, where students must be present for a number of hours, remote laboratories support the need for flexibility by providing student access through the internet at any time and from any location. It is also possible to share laboratory infrastructure across institutions, both nationally and internationally.

Most laboratory experiments in undergraduate engineering programs are becoming more complicated and expensive to construct and maintain, particularly in relation to changing education needs, in addition to OH&S obligations. However, these laboratories have low utilisation levels and are often duplicated across universities. It is estimated that the annual expenditure on Australian university laboratories is $400 million and some surveys indicate that these laboratories are under-utilised, by up to 90 per cent.

Remote laboratories provide an opportunity for this inefficiency to be addressed and for universities to share resources, save costs and avoid duplication – as well as provide opportunities for their staff to collaborate on developing innovative teaching and learning delivery approaches.

The first of the large-scale teaching remote laboratories that catered for hundreds of students emerged in 2000, and currently the most advanced examples are at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) – the Remote Laboratory of the Faculty of Engineering – and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) ‘iLabs’.

The state-of-the-art UTS Remote Laboratory includes five experiments from different disciplines of engineering:

• micro controller design – Computer Systems Engineering;
• beam deflection – Civil and Construction Engineering;
• dynamics and control pneumatics – Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering;
• fluid mechanics – Mechanical Engineering; and
• micro controller design – ICT Engineering.

This system has the capacity to cater for more than 1000 students each semester. The laboratory has been continuously enhanced, culminating in the redeveloped laboratory being launched in 2008 by Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research.

“The UTS Engineering Remote Laboratory is a fantastic example of how we can make the most of Australia’s innovation capacity and facilitate effective and efficient collaboration between individuals, institutions and sectors,” Senator Carr said. “Australia needs to further focus on its research strengths and encourage greater collaboration between universities, other research institutions and industry.”

A consortia led by UTS (Professor David Lowe and the author) was recently awarded $2.1 million from the Australian Government’s Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund to expand this education delivery model nationally to all engineering schools in Australia. UTS is supported in this project by the Australian Technology Network (ATN) of Universities and includes the participation of Engineers Australia, all the schools of engineering in Australia through the Australian Council of Engineering Deans (ACED), ATSE and the secondary school sector, through the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA).

The project not only focuses on laboratory sharing between universities but also aims to provide access to high school and TAFE students, who can use this technology platform to access state-of-the-art engineering and science experiments. This will benefit all schools but notably schools in remote areas of Australia and less affluent schools that struggle to meet their laboratory resource needs. The scope of this project includes trials with at least four high schools in 2009.

The planned project outcomes include:

• a national review of current university engineering laboratory infrastructure, usage and funding;
• a review of pedagogic design and teaching implications of these laboratories;
• the design of a national laboratory sharing model;
• some laboratory sharing trials;
• the development of technical architecture and supporting resources; and
• the development of a connected community of learners from universities, industry, TAFE and high schools.

It is considered that this project will promote a rethink of the way in which universities share laboratory resources and lead to improved laboratory experiences for engineering and science students, both in Australia and overseas, as well as provide unique access for high school students to engineering and science at our universities.

Professor Archie Johnston FTSE is a Fellow of both Engineers Australia and The Institution of Civil Engineers (London). He is Dean of Engineering and Information Technology at UTS, Chair of the Centre for Leadership and Management (Engineers Australia), Advisory Professor to Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Adviser to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, a Director of Insearch and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He was the Sir John Holland 2007 Civil Engineer of the Year and 2007 Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year of the Business and Higher Education Roundtable.