Remote Labs in Developing Countries An experience in Brazilian public education J.P.S. Simão, J.P.C. de Lima, W. Rochadel, J. B. da Silva Federal University of Santa Catarina Araranguá, Brazil Abstract— This paper presents a study case about the application of low cost remote experiments in physics classes in Brazilian public schools. Practical activities are extremely important in teaching sciences; however, most Brazilian public schools do not have laboratories. Thus, remote experiments can be an efficient way to meet this need. The use of open source tools is an alternative to proprietary technologies, turning possible remote labs cheaper than hands-on labs or other modalities of remote labs. The architecture proposed allows access via computers or mobile devices making use of PHP, HTML5 and JavaScript. The user can control variables of the experiments, and see the results in real-time via video streaming. This technology was applied experimentally in physics classes of two public basic schools in Brazil. Keywords— remote labs; remote experimentation; e-learning; developing countries; social technology. I. INTRODUCTION The social-economic development of a country is strictly connected to its educational level and technological advancement. However, the reality of the education in developing countries mostly falls short of the desired. In Brazil, public schools face crowded classrooms, teachers‟ very low income, instructors teaching subjects different from their qualification, and many infrastructure problems. For example, only 28.9% of schools in Brazil have libraries [1]. Moreover, most public basic schools do not have science laboratories, and this necessity compromises the realization of practical activities in science classes. Meanwhile, the demonstration of phenomena through experimentation helps the student to understand the theory taught in class. Furthermore, according to Hofstein and Lunetta [2], school laboratory activities have special potential as media for learning that can promote important science learning outcomes for students. This set of problems can result in students who are not prepared for the academia or the work market. On the other hand, most schools in Brazil have internet access. According to the education census [1], in 2013, 50.3% of schools had internet access and 44.3% had computer lab, while just 8.19% had science labs. However, the mere introduction of technology is not enough to improve the quality of education. In most cases, the technologies arrive in schools without the support of an educational proposal [2]. It is necessary the implementation of actions capable of taking the best advantage of these technologies. Thus, remote experimentation is a viable and efficient alternative to hands- on labs. II. REMOTE EXPERIMENTATION The Remote Experimentation (RE) is a technology that allows the user to control remotely a real experiment, observing the results in real time. Silva [4] notes that in these laboratories "the elements are real, the access is virtual and the experiences are real". Contrary to simulation, that rely on mathematical models, and virtual laboratories, not only using mathematical simulations but also user interface and 3D modeling, remote laboratories use real experiments, which approximates the results to those obtained by the hands-on laboratories. There is a significant number of laboratories scattered all over the world, and the majority belongs to the world- renowned institutions in teaching and research. Generally there are two approaches in the design of remote laboratories: based on small devices, low cost and possible be implemented anywhere, or based on large software infrastructure that enables high number of users, provides management and access panel other institutional servers [5]. Considering that remote labs allow access to a much larger number of users, their deployment ends up being cheaper than hands-on labs, beyond being available to access 24 hours, 7 days a week. Moreover, the utilization of open source technologies can further reduce the price. Additionally, the physical space required for the installation of a remote laboratory may be much lower compared to traditional laboratories. Furthermore, remote experimentation promotes individualized interactivity in practical learning. Unlike the traditional model of education that assumes a student as just listener on a lesson written in a blackboard, or have to do experiments in groups in the school lab laboratory, in the remote experimentation each student learns in his/her own time. Moreover, Silva et al. [6] affirms that experimentation plants increase the students‟ motivation and also develop a realistic approach to problem-solving The rapid increase of mobile networks in the last years, coupled with the popularity of smartphones and tablets, open doors to new ways of learning. The access to remote experiments through mobile devices, also called Mobile Remote Experimentation by Costa and Alves [7], claims that its use ensures the benefit designed by remote experimentation 978-1-4799-7193-0/14/$31.00 ©2014 IEEE 99 IEEE 2014 Global Humanitarian Technology Conference