This project is testing and disseminating a software tool (WebLAB) that allows remote students to access laboratory equipment using the Internet. It also is developing a remotely accessible power grid laboratory that is compatible with this tool. This combination enables distance-learning students to complete laboratory exercises that would otherwise only be available to on-campus students. WebLab is a versatile tool and would support other on-line laboratories. The WebLab system and the associated laboratory are being evaluated using student, instructor, and industrial surveys, on-line tests, structured performance demonstrations, interviews, and observations in a job setting. The methodology and the results of the evaluation are being disseminated through mailings to industrial contacts and professional organizations and through presentations at technical and educational meetings.
