Using Virtual Programming Lab for Web-based Distance Education

Abstract

In Web-based distance education, our experience has shown that some courses are more challenging than others for both students and instructors when offered at a distance. Among those challenges, providing students with access to laboratories is a big one for some science and engineering courses. Over the years, researchers and practitioners have devised and tried different ideas to solve this problem, and virtual labs are the newest and most promising one. In computer science, such virtual labs are often called virtual computing labs or virtual programming labs. In this paper, we will discuss about the development of virtual computing and programming labs. In particular, we will present the design and implementation of A-VPL, a virtual programming lab designed and implemented at Athabasca University, and its uses in Web-based distance education.