Award Abstract # 2141798
A New Generation of Broadly Accessible Remote Engineering Laboratories

NSF Org: DUE
Division Of Undergraduate Education
Recipient: UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Initial Amendment Date: March 21, 2022
Latest Amendment Date: May 4, 2023
Award Number: 2141798
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Karen Crosby
kcrosby@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2124
DUE
 Division Of Undergraduate Education
EDU
 Directorate for STEM Education
Start Date: April 1, 2022
End Date: September 30, 2024 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $598,388.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $622,388.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2022 = $598,388.00
FY 2023 = $24,000.00
History of Investigator:
  • Rania Hussein (Principal Investigator)
    rhussein@uw.edu
  • Denise Wilson (Co-Principal Investigator)
  • Payman Arabshahi (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Washington
4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE
SEATTLE
WA  US  98195-1016
(206)543-4043
Sponsor Congressional District: 07
Primary Place of Performance: University of Washington
4333 Brooklyn Ave. NE
Seattle
WA  US  98195-2500
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): HD1WMN6945W6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): IUSE
Primary Program Source: 04002223DB NSF Education & Human Resource
04002324DB NSF STEM Education
Program Reference Code(s): 8209, 8244, 9178, 9251
Program Element Code(s): 199800
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.076

ABSTRACT

This project aims to serve the national interest by establishing a new generation of remote engineering labs that support underserved communities and schools with limited resources. Lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis have helped educators rethink teaching practices that are sustainable and safe after the pandemic era. Offering hands-on engineering labs in off-campus settings has presented significant challenges to educators. By taking advantage of advances in cloud computing, implementing a remote hardware laboratory will allow students to experience a full-fledged remote experience without compromising what they could have learned and accomplished if they were physically present in the lab. This project will advance the potential of using remote laboratories for electrical and computer engineering students in embedded computing and wireless communications courses. The proposed work is expected to allow educators and institutions to rethink the delivery of hands-on engineering labs via a cost-effective, broadly accessible, and equitable solution. The complete remote lab solution, including hardware and software, has significance to underprivileged universities and K-12 education.

The project?s goal is to develop a remote computing and wireless communication laboratory based on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and software defined radio (SDR) platforms; provide a full technical evaluation of remote solutions; and perform a comprehensive assessment of student learning and engagement in remote settings for these engineering technologies. The scope of the work is scalable, and the open-source hardware and software toolkit that will be developed can be deployed at other institutions, as well as K-12 and underserved community settings, to provide access to industry-grade hardware to all students. The sustainability plan includes a scalable solution that allows universities to pool their individual remote labs together to further increase access and decrease equipment costs and foster further collaboration among institutions by sharing resources and pedagogical content. The open-source remote labs will be disseminated via a highly modular repository (GitHub), and partnerships between schools will be encouraged to improve course materials, perform version control, pull requests, provide issue tracking, and use the course materials at their universities. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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(Showing: 1 - 10 of 11)
Chap, Brian and Inonan Moran, Marcos and Zhang, Zhiyun and Orduna, Pablo and Arabshahi, Payman and Hussein, Rania "Board 382: RHLab RELIA: A Remote Integrated Environment forEmbedded Computing and RF Communication Systems" , 2023 https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--43077 Citation Details
Hussein, Rania and Chap, Brian and Inonan, Marcos and Guo, Matthew and Monroy, Francisco Luquin and Maloney, Riley and Ferreria, Stefhany Alves and Kalisi, Jayanth "Remote Hub Lab RHL: Broadly Accessible Technologies for Education and Telehealth" International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation REV , 2023 Citation Details
Inonan, M. "Preliminary Evaluation of RHL-RELIA Post-Development" the 21st international conference on smart technologies & education , 2024 Citation Details
Inonan, M. "RHLab Interoperable Software-Defined Radio (SDR) Remote Laboratory" 21st International Conference on Smart Technologies & Education (STE) , 2024 Citation Details
Inonan, M. "RHL RADAR Remote Laboratory" the 21st international conference on smart technologies & education , 2024 Citation Details
Inonan, Marcos and Chap, Brian and Orduna, Pablo and Hussein, Rania and Arabshahi, Payman "RHLab Scalable Software Defined Radio (SDR) Remote Laboratory" International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation REV , 2023 Citation Details
Inonan, Marcos and Hussein, Rania "MELODY: A Platform-Agnostic Model for Building and Evaluating Remote Labs of Software-Defined Radio Technology" IEEE Access , v.11 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3331399 Citation Details
Inonan, Marcos and Hussein, Rania "Thematic Insights from Focus Groups: Addressing Digital Inequalities in Remote Laboratories for Equitable Engineering Education" , 2024 Citation Details
Inonan Moran, Marcos and Paul, Animesh and May, Dominik and Hussein, Rania "RHLab: Digital Inequalities and Equitable Access in Remote Laboratories" , 2023 https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--44150 Citation Details
Iñonan Moran, Marcos Jose and Orduña Fernandez, Pablo and Hussein, Rania "Adaptación de un laboratorio remoto de SDR para analizar desigualdades digitales en educación de comunicaciones inalámbricas en Latinoamérica" Innovaciones Educativas , v.25 , 2023 https://doi.org/10.22458/ie.v25iEspecial.4920 Citation Details
Zhang, Z. "RHLab: Towards Implementing a Partial Reconfigurable SDR Remote Lab" 21st International Conference on Smart Technologies & Education (STE) , 2024 Citation Details
(Showing: 1 - 10 of 11)

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

The RELIA (Remote Engineering Laboratory for Immersive Access) project was developed to address the growing demand for accessible, hands-on learning opportunities in engineering education. By creating a platform-agnostic, remotely accessible lab environment focused on software-defined radio (SDR) technologies, RELIA has expanded the scope and potential of engineering curricula across institutions.

Intellectual Merit

RELIA advanced the field of engineering education by introducing innovative remote experimentation techniques and tools:

  • Development and Deployment: The project successfully designed an interdisciplinary, remotely accessible Software Defined Radio (SDR) lab platform, integrating hardware and software tools to enable practical, real-time interactions in wireless communication courses.
  • Evaluation and Learning Outcomes: The lab was deployed in a capstone course, with assessments showing improved student engagement and comprehension of complex engineering concepts.
  • Open Source and Community Engagement: All project resources, including documentation and code, were made openly available, enabling adaptation and customization across a wide range of academic institutions.
  • Collaborative Framework: The project fostered collaborations between educators and industry partners to ensure that the developed tools are aligned with current academic and professional needs.

Broader Impacts

RELIA contributed to broadening participation and workforce readiness:

  • Broadening participation: By removing geographical and resource barriers, RELIA opened pathways for diverse student populations, including those from underserved and remote areas, to access high-quality engineering education.
  • Global Reach: The platform supported multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese, facilitating international adoption and collaboration.
  • Workforce Development: The lab equipped students with industry-relevant skills in SDR and remote technologies, preparing them for careers in telecommunications, network systems, and other technology-driven fields.

Key Outcomes

  • Educational Impact: RELIA set a benchmark for remote labs in engineering education, with positive feedback and measurable improvements in learning outcomes among students who used the platform. Undergraduate and graduate students who directly contributed to the project gained invaluable experience in advanced research and development, honing skills in software-defined radio (SDR), remote experimentation, and platform design.
  • Student Achievements: The project served as a springboard for significant academic contributions from participating students. Graduate students produced impactful research outputs, including a Ph.D. dissertation and an M.S. thesis, both centered on innovations and findings from the RELIA platform. Undergraduate and graduate students also co-authored several publications, showcasing their work at major academic venues and establishing a presence within the engineering community.
  • Community Building: Through presentations at major conferences and multilingual publications, RELIA cultivated a growing community of educators and institutions eager to adopt the platform. Additionally, by involving students at multiple levels in presentations and outreach, RELIA contributed to cultivating a generation of engineers and researchers who are well-versed in the challenges and opportunities of remote learning technologies.
  • Sustainability: The open-source model and comprehensive documentation ensure the project's resources will remain accessible and impactful beyond the duration of the award. Furthermore, the project has garnered increasing interest from industry, with potential plans to expand its adoption in the future.

The RELIA project demonstrated how platform-agnostic can bridge gaps in access and engagement, setting a foundation for future innovations in the field. The project’s enriched focus on student engagement highlights RELIA’s dual role in advancing engineering education and nurturing future leaders in research and technology.

 


Last Modified: 12/16/2024
Modified by: Rania Hussein

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