Lab Station

The Lab Stations offer us, both teachers and students of CreaTe, added value for two main reasons. 

1. They offer flexibility and a good alternative to the professional equipment which is normally fixed into a single room. In the Smart Technology learning line in year 1 and 2 we have quite some lab sessions using the professional equipment. These are normally executed in the West room, the EE lab room. The lab stations offer a solution for students who had been ill or for other reasons absent during the officially scheduled moments and allow them to catch up at any time suitable, at any place. 
2. Furthermore, the lab stations are of great addition to that kind of project work which involves development of electric circuits (which boils down to nearly all our modules). As the module coordinator and one of the core lecturers of the Smart Technology module 5A, I have seen the first time usage of the lab stations in the 4-day Hackaton project in November of 2023. It proved to be a real improvement as compared to last year as the members focusing on electronics could now work within their project groups at their own table on the circuitry. They were no longer depending on a few workstations which often had long queues. In other words, it enhanced the development work and smoothened the process. 

All in all, the lab station prove so far to be of great value for our education.

The SmartXp Lab Stations enable us to rethink the way we do labs - they are no longer bound to a specific location and time. For example, students can start execution of the practical part of the lab during tutorial sessions when they have completed the preparation - this gives them more control over their study activities and use of time.