Investigating the impact of IoT-Based smart laboratories on students' academic performance in higher education

Abstract

The enormous developments in technology have transformed the way we interact with the world around us. Among the extensive yet advanced technological interventions, one of the sophisticated expansions is the appearance of the Internet of Things, a tool for developing connections of physical objects to the virtual world using small-sized sensors and certain internet protocols to lessen human interventions. The domain of education has also adopted these technological services to move from traditional methods to sophisticated and advanced teaching and learning approaches to cope with learning needs and raise quality. This paper intends to conceptualize the impact of integrating IoT in higher education to increase students' academic performance in the engineering domain through the integration of smart laboratories. Several international studies were selected and thoroughly reviewed using the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis to build sophisticated insights regarding the topic in terms of its conceptual as well as practical foundations. The key insights gathered through reviewed studies indicate that the Internet of things-based laboratories have significant advantages in uplifting students' academic performance through interaction, motivation, creativity, and practical learning. The integration of the Internet of things in higher educational institutes improves students' academic performance because it allows them to engage in authentic tasks and experience practical and active learning.

Keywords: Higher education; Internet of things; IoT-Based smart laboratories; Students’ academic performance.

Fig. 1

A simple IoT Architecture. Note. Adapted from “A survey on internet of things: Security and privacy issues” by J. S. Kumar and D. R. Patel, 2014, International Journal of Computer Applications, 90(11). Copyright 2014 by IJCA. (https://doi.org/10.5120/15764-4454)

Fig. 2

Device-to-Device Communication Model. Note. Adapted from “An Overview of Security Issues Relating to the Internet of Things” by G.R. Akeredolu, A.A. Elusoji, J.N. Odii, A.W. Akanji and A.E. Aiyegbusi, 2019, Computing, Information Systems, Development Informatics and Allied Research Journal. 7(3), 63–70. (https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Example-of-device-to-device-communication-model_fig1_334603508)

Fig. 3

Device-to-Cloud Communication Model. Note. Adapted from “An Overview of Security Issues Relating to the Internet of Things” by G.R. Akeredolu, A.A. Elusoji, J.N. Odii, A.W. Akanji and A.E. Aiyegbusi, 2016, Computing, Information Systems, Development Informatics and Allied Research Journal, 7(3), 63–70. (https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Device-to-cloud-communication-model-diagram_fig2_334603508)

Fig. 4

Device-to-Gateway Communication Model. Note. Adapted from “An Overview of Security Issues Relating to the Internet of Things” by G.R. Akeredolu, A.A. Elusoji, J.N. Odii, A.W. Akanji and A.E. Aiyegbusi, 2016, Computing, Information Systems, Development Informatics and Allied Research Journal, 7(3), 63–70. (https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Device-to-gateway-communication-model-diagram_fig3_334603508)

Fig. 5

Back-end-Data-sharing Communication Model. Note. Adapted from “An Overview of Security Issues Relating to the Internet of Things” by G.R. Akeredolu, A.A. Elusoji, J.N. Odii, A.W. Akanji and A.E. Aiyegbusi, 2016, Computing, Information Systems, Development Informatics and Allied Research Journal, 7(3), 63–70. (https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Back-end-data-sharing-model-diagram_fig4_334603508)

Fig. 6

The pedagogical Triangle [31]. Note. Adapted from “Smart classroom environment via IoT in basic and secondary education” by H. E. Mrabet and A. A. Moussa, 2017, Transactions on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, 5(4). Copyright by Society for Science and Education United Kingdom. (https://doi.org/10.14738/tmlai.54.3191)

Fig. 7

A Model of IoT for Academia. Note. Adapted from “The impact of internet-of-things in higher education” by L. Banica, E. Burtescu and F. Enescu, 2017, Scientific Bulletin-Economic Sciences, 16(1), 53–59. (http://economic.upit.ro/repec/pdf/2017_1_6.pdf)

Fig. 8

Flow diagram for a process of Systematic Inclusion of Reviewed Studies

Fig. 9

Geographical Distribution of the Reviewed Studies

Fig. 10

Yearly Distribution of the Reviewed Studies