Developing a remote laboratory for engineering education

New information technologies provide great opportunities for education. One such opportunity is the use of remote control laboratories for teaching students about control systems. This paper describes the creation of interactive remote laboratories (RLs). Two main software tools are used: Simulink and Easy Java Simulations (EJS). The first is a widely used tool in the control community, whereas the second is an authoring tool designed to build interactive applications in Java without special programming skills. The RLs created by this approach give students the opportunity to perform experiments with real equipment from any location, at any time, and at their own pace. The paper ends with an evaluation of this approach according to students’ criteria and academic results.