The experience of a collaborative project on remote laboratory: From development to operation

Distance Learning has seen in the last twenty years a remarkable growth through ICT developments. This evolution has rarely involved training based laboratory work. The concept of Online laboratory or Lab At Distance (LAD) has timidly accompanied this trend. Today, with the development of digital equipment and the increased performances of Internet communication, the LAD found an interesting tool in training systems. In this paper, we present the experience of developing a set of LAD performed by the school of engineering Ecole de technologie superieure (ETS) in Montreal and three colleges (CEGEP) in Quebec. From this experience, the article highlights both technical and pedagogical strengths. The different choices adopted for LAD are discussed and a preliminary assessment of the operation of this set of LAD is also presented.