Remote experiments for food engineering

A set of seven laboratory exercises that contain remotely conducted experiments assisted by the Internet were created for teaching food engineering courses at the University of California, Davis (USA) and Universidad de las Américas, Puebla (Mexico). To illustrate how a remote-controlled experiment is structured, one experiment (Dynamic Response of Sensors) is described. The positive feedback received from students indicates that the exercises are useful in laboratory classes to develop a self-paced understanding. In lecture-only classes, students noted that these experiences enhanced their learning of concepts that were difficult to understand from textbooks. Exercises have been most advantageous in engaging students in an interactive Internet activity prior to conducting a more comprehensive laboratory experiment. A complete set of instructions including software on how remotely conducted laboratory experiments may be set up, is available to motivate other instructors to create additional Internet-assisted exercises.