Keynote Speakers

Metaverse has been the trendy topics in global education since 2022. The Metaverse is considered the third wave of the Internet revolution, able to support persistent interconnected online 3D virtual environments (3DVE), and promising to bring new levels of social connection and collaboration. How to effectively design and use Metaverse in teaching and learning remains crucial for the development of effective learning experiences. Meanwhile, Generative AI such as ChatGPT entered the spotlight in 2023 and stirred conversations around the world on its usage and “threats” to teaching, learning and training.

Prof. Marquez-Barja will present an overview of the current technical approaches for remote laboratories that enhance engineering education by providing laboratory facilities to experiment remotely and new skills to learners. While many solutions enable remote laboratories, the engineering education community has identified the need to embrace an interoperable approach to homogenize how such laboratories may operate. To address such a need, the IEEE Education Society, through its Standardization Committee, has been sponsoring the development of standards that aim to homogenize such technical approaches for implementing and delivering remote laboratories in a secure and interoperable manner. In this Keynote, Prof. Marquez-Barja will also present the status of the already existing standards, such as the IEEE 1876-2019 Standard for Networked Smart Learning Objects for Online Laboratories, and ongoing efforts for new standards, such as IEEE P2834 – Standard for Secure and Trusted Learning Systems. Furthermore, the talk will present the remote laboratories approach that IMEC and the University of Antwerp have developed in Belgium utilizing high-performance testbeds, such as the Smart City and the Smart Highway located in Antwerp, to deliver remote laboratories in engineering education.