Conception et développement d'un environnement informatisé d'expérimentations contrôlées et assistées à distance par ordinateur (Ex@O)
In the school environment, the scientific (or experimental) approach requires experimental «savoir-faire» which is usually acquired in presential, that is to say in an institutional laboratory where the teacher or technician are present and may, at any time, fully assist the learner in his inquiry-based scientific and technological approach. The teacher or technician can direct, guide and stimulate the learner’s thinking, to do live demonstrations and control experiment by showing the learner how to configures the computer assisted experimentation (expérimentation assistée par ordinateur or ExAO) tools.  To meet the needs of distance learning, the R&D in science and technology education, provides learners and teachers with a computer laboratory environment, controlled and attended to from a distance. In order to distinguish between the remote computer lab environment and the ExAO microlaboratory, we named our environment Ex@O. It was first tested in order to werify its functionality and it was then evaluated in classroom situations by student teachers and students of adult education who practiced and experienced the scientific approach. This was done with a computer laboratory environment, but from a distance.  To achieve this, we combine the MicrolabExAO software with a grip remote, and audio and video tools (Teamviewer). In addition, we have create and included in the MicrolabExAO software, online help in order to facilitate the download and the grip remote laboratory. Because of Ex@O, the learner benefits from increased contacts with concrete experiments. In doing so, the Ex@O prototype meets the objectives of the « Programme de formation de l’école québécoise » (PFEQ), which is to increase the learner’s active participation in his learnings. With the first version of Ex@O prototype, where the learner can perform activities in remote laboratory, we were able to verify that it also focuses not only on knowledge, but also the experimental science and technology « savoir-faire », traditionally developed in institutional laboratories. Note here that the experimental approach is acquired almost exclusively in the laboratory practicing, often and on a regular basis, both inductive and deductive processes which are specific to this approach. The practice of the experimental approach from a distance with the Ex@O technology, has enabled us to verify that it was possible, even comparable to a real, step-by-step, experimental protocol traditionally conducted in an institutional laboratory.
assistance Ex@O actography distance education model of action remote control Scientific investigation Ex@O assistance