مارسا12

The purpose of the simulator in a vlab is to allow the students to understand different scenarios as part of their practical work that may be difficult to observe in a real situation.

simulators can be used for different proposals and activities :for example , computer architecture [13],programming

(e.g.,jeliot 3[14] is a program visualization tool that is based on the automatic animation of java programs),

 networking (e.g.,the boson and the semsim simulators ) and operating system concepts[15].

At the uoc ,the vplab uses an interactive simulator in order to help understand the concepts of algorithms and to learn the basic programming assignments of design and implementation.

The simulator is a java applet that runs tab in the virtual classroom.

in the future, it will include statistical tools and data mining capabilities that will inform the teacher about the results of students" interactions with the simulator.

C.remote laboratory

A remote laboratory consists of one or more computers and/or devices installed and set up to allow remote access.

The remote laboratory provides students with a real environment to carry out practical work

. It should be noted that a remote laboratory is different from a simulator in that the latter is not a real environment [7,8].

In a vle , remote laboratories may be the only possible solution to work with some devices since it cannot be assumed that students will have them at home.

Traditionally , remote laboratories have been developed for computer network[17,18] and operating system subjects.

For instance , router configuration can be performed using aremote laboratory like cisco netlab[19].

The vplab implemented at the uoc does not include a remote laboratory.

 The reason is twofold.

Firstly ,all programming activities can be carried out by students using their home. And secondly, one of the things programming students must be able to do is to carry out compiler installations..