DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICS AND ELECTRONIC VIRTUAL

LABORATORIES IN A WEB LEARNING MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM

Pilar Martinez Jimenez, Juan Luna Rodriguez

Department of Applied Physic, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain

Department of Computer and Electronic Technology, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain

Marta Varo-Martínez, Carmen García, Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez, Pedro Pérez, Juan Calero

Department of Applied Physic, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain

Keywords: Virtual Labs, e-learning, Engineering,

Abstract: This paper presents a new Learning Management System (LMS), which permits teachers to administrate the

contents stored in the system. It also allows the carrying out of student handling actions: enrolment in a

course, evaluations, generation of reports in PDF format or as tabulated data in CSV format, notification via

e-mail, which facilitates both the management of subjects taught by the teacher and the learning of them by

students, thus obtaining a personalized Virtual Classroom. This project presents some advantages in

comparison to others LMSs, since we can develop and include some virtual laboratories as a typical content

in the portal, adapting them according to the needs of the user, i.e. the teacher. Particularly, whilst in other

tools virtual laboratories can be only linked to external resources, in this LMS they can be directly created,

edited or designed within the same environment.

1 INTRODUCTION

Very many studies (Lopez Martin, A. , 2003;

Babulak E, , 2009; Fang RJ, Chang YH, Tsai HL,

2009) have shown the usefulness of new

technologies at an educational level (CIive L. Dym,

2004). Within the field of scientific and

technological education, computers can be used as a

tool for reflection, since thanks to them students are

the protagonists of their own learning processes

(Romero, C.; Ventura, S. Et al. 2009).

In the past few years we have developed and

evaluated numerous computer science applications,

which include different modules: diagnosis of

knowledge and previous ideas, solution of problems,

numerical simulations, virtual laboratories,

interactive tutorials, etc (Martínez-Jiménez , P.,

Varo, M; et al. 2009).

The main advantages of this type of educational

tools are: representation of situations which in

practice are irreproducible, idealization of

experimental conditions, depiction of situations

requiring costly and complex equipment or without

many prototypes available, the use of models

representing partial aspects of reality, handling of

dangerous processes, and control of variables, etc .

Furthermore, very many changes have occurred in

the “network above all networks” (Stefanovic M,

Matijevic M, Cvijetkovic V, 2009) since 1995. In

the field of Physics, numerous advances have been

made, especially in the area of research and

teaching.

Currently, teleinformation is an important

challenge in education since it lets teachers teach

subjects and resolve students’ doubts through

Internet,, and, at the same time, students can carry

out a self-directed learning process.

In addition, most of the Learning Management

Systems available on the market present a very

generic philosophy and, consequently, the users

(teachers and students) cannot make the most of

them.

161

Martinez-Jimenez P., Luna Rodriguez J., Varo-Martínez M., García C., Pedrós-Pérez G., Perez P. and Calero J. (2010).

DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICS AND ELECTRONIC VIRTUAL LABORATORIES IN A WEB LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM .

In Proceedings of the Multi-Conference on Innovative Developments in ICT, pages 161-164

DOI: 10.5220/0002958201610164

 SciTePress

Inside this line of work, the department of Applied

Physics has been compiling a large amount of links

to different resources created for the department,

each one focusing on an aspect of Physics

(http://rabfis15.uco.es/lvct/

and http://rabfis15.uco.es/deptfisica/)

2 OBJECTIVES

The basic objective of the project presented is the

creation of a Learning Management System or LMS,

which permits teachers to administrate the contents

stored in the system (inclusion or exclusion and

modification of different types of contents: tutorials,

practices, problems, simulations). In addition,

organization actions can be carried out for students:

enrolment in a course, evaluation, generation of

reports in PDF or as tabulated data in CSV,

notification via e-mail. This features facilitate both

teaching and learning, obtaining a personalized

Virtual Classroom, moving away from the pre-

fabricated products in existence, such as Moodle,

Dokeos and other LMSs.

The aims of this application are:

• A complete management of students. To enable

teachers to administrate simply and intuitively

the different groups of students they teach.

• A classification of the contents and teaching

resources, problems, questionnaires and

simulations in order to place them at the

students’ disposal.

• Generation of courses with personalized contents

(tutorials, simulations and virtual laboratories)

reinforcing the concept of the Virtual Classroom

as a complement tool to teaching.

In view of the current tendency of using the web in

our daily lives, with this system we shall be able to

focus on teaching from a more up-to-date point of

view and in accordance with the advances supplied

by this technology. Among the advantages of this

web aspects are:

• Magnetic support independence: it will not be

necessary for the student to load magnetic or

optic material for the installation of software in

different computers.

• Geographical independence: The student can

access to the application from any terminal

possessing a connection to Internet, without any

other special requirement.

• Adaptation to new technologies: there is no

doubt that the web support contributes a nuance

of progress to the project in accordance with the

technology of the information networks in force

today.

• Restricting access to certain areas: It has become

necessary to prevent non authorized users from

having complete access to specific areas, mostly

used for the organization of users and of the

portal contents.

3 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

GCAD is a Web application which implements an

information system useful in teaching as a LMS

(Learning Management System). For that, the PHP 5

programm language, a database system such as

MySQL and a Web server are used.

As in all the dynamic contents web management

system, the application is divided into two

visualization modes. On the one hand, the portal

public views, that is, the front-end in which all the

contents stored in the system are shown categorized

according to the kind of content. On the other hand,

the private block of the software, the back-end,

which is only accessible to the users registered as

administrators or teachers and with the

corresponding licenses to create, edit or delete

contents or to manage the different users

3.1 Development of the Front-end or

Public View

In this part of the tool the external interface or front-

end has been implemented. This permits us to show

users the different types of contents to which each

user is associated and which have been generated

with the administration tool. To achieve this, the

logic controlling the access to the contents was

codified (figure 1)

Figure 1: Public View Screen.

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3.2 Development of Back-on

or Administration

The databases and the web environment have been

designed to permit the development of the

administration tool of the contents or back-end in

accordance with the philosophy of the web creation.

The whole web portal (those aspect related to the

users and those related to the contents) can be

administrated from this section. Access to this

section of the portal will be restricted per user

profiles.

The content is classified into courses, tutorials,

questionnaires and the web portal front-page. Course

content type include tutorials and questionnaires

which can be linked allowing the creation of

personalized courses with the desirable content. At

the same time, tutorials are based on a page structure

so that it is possible to create a “book” with a more

comfortable navigation, which permits browsing to

be easier in the form of “training pills” (Figure 2).

Next, each of the functions of the Learning

Management System is explained:

• Administration of users. This is a basic

functionality. With this administration tool we

shall be able to incorporate users, modify the

data or remove users as basic tasks, and other

more advanced ones like the management of the

applications for enrolment in the courses, grade

control, sending of notifications, blocking of

users or generation of reports. The users can play

one of three possible roles: Administrator,

Teacher or Student. These roles will determine

access to the System’s tools, so that access to the

back-end is reserved for users with the role of

Administrator or Teacher.

• Administration of Courses. This second tool is

that which allows the incorporation, modification

or removal of courses or virtual laboratories in

the system. A course or virtual laboratory, as a

type of content, is the framework in which the

rest of the information stored in the system is

encompassed.

• Administration of Tutorials, Simulations. A

complete administration tool has been designed

with the basic functionalities of inclusion,

modification or removal for each of the types of

contents that can be included in the courses or

virtual laboratories. Contents already created

with other technologies can be included, such as

Flash, Applets, Java, Video, in different formats

or other XHTML elements and make them the

portal’s own material, thus eliminating the need

to access to the source where they come from

(Figure 3).

Figure 2: Administration screen.

Figure 3: General diagram of the Virtual Laboratory

editor.

• Administration of Questionnaires. In the same

way as in the previous sections, a tool for

administrating questionnaires has been created

with the basic sections of inclusion, exclusion

and modification. The questionnaires can be

used, as well as contents which can be associated

with a laboratory or course, as an element which

decides the admission of a student in a course or

not. We can also use questionnaires as a filter

for admitting a student in one course or another.

That is to say, we can create several courses at a

different level, and, depending on the result

obtained in the questionnaire, the student will be

included in a certain course.

3.3 Public Portal

The system has an access control for its users. Once

they have been identified in it, they can access to the

different courses in which they are enrolled, or can

apply for enrolment in the rest of the courses

available.

DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICS AND ELECTRONIC VIRTUAL LABORATORIES IN A WEB LEARNING

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

163

4 INNOVATION

Comparing this application with other LMSs such as

Moodle, is the higher management content level,

that is, users can edit their own pages without a

predefine structure, being possible to include

educational contents instead of linking it. This

personalization system is based on the current CMS

(Content Management System) not implemented in

most of the LMS. This Web 2.0 feature makes the

present project nearer to the current website design

tendency.

On the other hand the GCAD Project is a

dynamic tool specifically designed for the

educational field that complements and makes up for

the deficiencies on edition tools of the Applied

Physic Department Website, which are very

necessary in the present universitary learning-

teaching process.

Finally, the main GCAD innovation is the

personalization of the application, which is based on

the application of the Content Management System

philosophy to the LMS. Thanks to that it is possible

to integrate all the contents stored in the system

(questionnaires, tutorials, …) and to re-use them in

different courses.

5 CONCLUSIONS

A new platform, Learning Management System, has

been developed. It is somewhat removed from the

traditional Moodle type systems, since it not only

permits the administration of the actual tasks of

learning management but it enables users to design,

create, erase and modify lessons and/or virtual

laboratories housed in the server as if they belonged

to it.

In short, this project signifies an advance with

respect to other LMSs such as Moodle in the sense

that we can include these courses and/or virtual

laboratories as an actual content of the portal,

adapting it according to the needs of the user, in this

case the teacher; whereas with other tools it is not

possible to create, edit or design directly within the

same environment the courses created, but one is

limited to creating links to other external resources.

Together with this advance, which means

managing the contents as one’s own, it is important

to point out the advantage signified by the fact of

executing elements created externally on the same

platform without taking into account the original

source. This centralization of the contents permits: a

greater fluidity in browsing since everything is

housed in the same server; rapidity in localization at

the moment of creating courses as the contents

forming part of the portal can be used by different

courses; and, generally, the generation of a large

library of perfectly catalogued and permanently

available resources.

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