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Online courses in engineering, technology and natural sciences in most parts of the world suffer from the lack of practical hands-on experimentation as an integral part of the curriculum being provided. The use of virtual labs and equipment facilitates active online learning. This meets habits of today's students who are always online and serves to fully engage them in STEM learning. This paper discusses the challenges and prospects of implementing simulation-based adjustable online learning activities, v-labs and comprehensive e-learning environments for teaching subjects, such as energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, thermodynamics, materials science, and some others to diverse cohorts of students from different parts of the world. The virtual labs were integrated with various online courses, including massive open online courses (MOOC) platforms. The use of these tools results in deeper understanding and transferable knowledge and skills for the learners.

Smart (ICT based) technologies and applications are increasingly used as teaching/learning aids in various fields of engineering and science capable of supporting both classroom taught courses and hands-on laboratory work as they can potentially encourage creativity and learning in individuals when properly based on adequate learning theories, styles and approaches. This paper presents several smart (mixed reality) technologies and applications for learning in Engineering education and discusses some issues such as knowledge integration and virtual experimentation in the context of applying smart technologies for visualisation in higher science and engineering education along with results from a study carried out at two academic institutions. The contributions of this paper includes a measurable cost-effective use of smart technologies and applications for visualisation based on adequate learning theories, styles and approaches with knowledge integration suitable for engineering disciplines also in developing countries.

Students in primary and secondary schools in rural areas in Tanzania are academically isolated and it is very difficult for them to get very good learning materials and to have quality teachers. Web-based learning, which employs electronic media, can be of very important use. However, web-based learning remains of little significance to rural areas in Tanzania due to lack of affordable electricity. Due to high cost of the solar panels, the use of concentrating systems has been proposed as a way to reduce the cost of solar electricity generation in rural areas in Tanzania. This paper, therefore, systematically draws attention to the importance of generation of solar electricity by using solar concentrators. Specifically, the paper links the generation of solar electricity by solar concentrators to the widespread of web-based learning in rural areas in Tanzania. The paper also examines the roles of web-based learning in stimulating interest and deep understanding of subjects for rural students in Tanzania. The paper also presents a cost breakdown of fabricating a small V-trough concentrator for rural applications. The paper concludes by suggesting how solar concentrators for solar electricity generation can be developed and implemented in Tanzania as well as discussing the practical impacts of solar electricity on various sectors in rural areas.

A plethora of online resources exist today for the study of the many different subjects in Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) area. The majority of these resources have been either developed in-house by participating research organizations or higher education institutions. Professional bodies have sponsored some of these initiatives such as the International Association for Engineering Education, iNEER (International Network for Engineering Education and Research) as well as some universities across Europe (University of Porto, Portugal, University of Ulster, UK etc.). Present efforts are geared towards implementing these virtual laboratories in enhancing teaching, learning and research in specific subject areas. This paper reports on collaborative experiments between University of Porto and The University of Ulster involving the sharing of the virtual Physics suite of Laboratory for conduct of experiments exploring the concepts of interferometry. The online resources from University of Porto were made available to researchers at the University of Ulster who reports on the use of the Michelson Interferometer application for measurements of wavelength and mirror displacement. We report on the researchers' experiences and evaluation of the resources and conclude with some of the challenges and potential which such systems present.

The PhD work on Computer Aided Engineering Education (CAEE) scheme is concerned with the use of computer aids for the enhanced, interactive delivery of educational materials in the field of engineering while maintaining existing pedagogical contents and standards. The work considers two separate components, one for classroom and another for practical hands-on laboratory work in engineering. The CAEE component for hands-on laboratory practical work focuses on the use of mixed and augmented reality tools on mobile devices/platforms. This practical demonstration presents an augmented virtuality tool where real-time information from a mobile device's sensors is used directly within a virtual or computer generated environment. The tool highlights the ability of the CAEE tools to provide a practical context for hands-on exercise in tutorial classes.

The PhD work on Computer Aided Engineering Education (CAEE) scheme is concerned with the use of computer aids for the enhanced, interactive delivery of educational materials in the field of engineering while maintaining existing pedagogical contents and standards. The work considers two separate components, one for classroom and another for practical hands-on laboratory work in engineering. The CAEE component for hands-on laboratory practical work focuses on the use of mixed reality (video-based augmented reality) tools on mobile devices/platforms. This practical demonstration highlights some of features of the CAEE version of an experiment such as the ability to closely implement an existing laboratory based hands-on experiment with lower associated costs and the ability to conduct the experiment off-line.

The education of engineers involves the integrated delivery of theoretical (sometimes abstract) concepts supported by the use of hands-on practical laboratory work. Engineering programmes strive to deliver fundamental concepts, technological know-how and innovation skills to students, who have different approaches to learning. The use of computer aids represents an important technique for matching the teaching style to learning styles. Computers and computer based aids present information using different media types such as text, graphics, video and simulations. On-line or computer based video has the ability to simultaneously carry and convey information in multiple formats such as speech (audio) alongside movement in two dimensions. This paper discusses the use of interactive video for on-line blended learning in engineering education.

Engineers play an important role in the society in sectors such as building, transportation, water and power because they are vital to the development of a nation. In Nigeria, the education of engineers is carried out at the institutions of higher education (primarily the Universities). The paper presents an insight into the education of engineers in Nigeria highlighting the use of a multi-disciplinary approach alongside a hands-on practical training done in collaboration with local industry. These two initiatives play a major role in ensuring the continued relevance of engineering graduates. The paper introduces the benefits and opportunities for enhancing engineering education in a developing country from major drivers such as the use of the internet, open-source tools and e-learning.

The teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in Africa is basically through face-to-face method of teaching supported by the use of printed materials such as books and articles. The last few years has witnessed efforts to provide free access to on-line scientific journals for researchers based in Africa. Open standards, frameworks and platforms for the capture, storage and presentation (or streaming) allow the sharing and exachange of video material online, the end-user experience is directly related to the bandwidth available. The ICTP Enhance Your Audience (EyA) system is an innovative award winning system for the completely automated hourly capture and on-line presentation of lectures (especially those that use the traditional black or white boards) that maybe used to address bandwidth demands for video streaming. This paper presents a strategy for enhancing STEM education through the use of video material as produced by EyA in a non-intrusive manner.