A Smart Learning Management System for Virtual Labs

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has provided unprecedented opportunities to enhance the quality of life over the past few decades. It has not only augmented the efficacy of telecommunication but also facilitated lifelong teaching and learning. ICT played a remarkable role in assisting students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, schools and colleges have been closed to prevent its lethal impact. In order to facilitate teaching-learning during the pandemic, the entire educational system was shifted to an online mode of knowledge dissemination. In the online mode, both students and teachers encountered some difficulties. During lockdowns, mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, were used to conduct online experiments via virtual platforms. Despite this, a comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) was required to fill the gap created by the lack of proximity in a typical classroom. A LMS not only makes online learning possible, but also helps students gain practical experience and allows teachers to evaluate them.

In this paper, an Android-based LMS is proposed to assist students perform physics experiments virtually on smart devices. The proposed system is an inexpensive, hands-on solution that is easy to install on smartphones and tablets. The main objective of the proposed system is to provide teachers with a comprehensive way of managing teaching-learning and evaluating the knowledge of concepts. Though the proposed system is designed for the physics lab, it can be expanded and adapted to other subject areas. The system is not intended to replace the current education system, but to supplement it by fostering and testing innovative ideas and solutions for effective learning.