VIRTUAL LAB FOR ONLINE LEARNING IN INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION. A COMPARISON STUDY

In this paper, we present the development process of a Virtual Laboratory (VL) which consists of an industrial automation system emulating a physical mock-up available in the laboratory in order to enable online students to perform the same practical training than face-to-face students in Industrial Automation subject for Engineering on Electronics and Automation (GIEA). The developed VL has been evaluated in terms of not only the industrial automation system creation but also the programming of the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) based on Ladder Diagram (LD) programming language and Human Machine Interface. The developed VL allows online students programming the control of an industrial automation system in LD using a PLC including emergency stop and reset, manual and automatic modes and system feedback by means of HMI. This study has been performed at the Escuela Universitaria Politecnica de Teruel, University of Zaragoza, which plans to gradually introduce the blended learning modality in all the courses offered to GIEA undergraduate students.