A reliable e-learning architecture based on fog-computing and smart devices

Recently, ubiquitous approaches are more and more used during training/learning sessions. Based on smart and intelligent devices all kind of professions can benefit from the usage of e-learning models for partially mastering both scientific and engineering topics. Recent developments in augmented reality, Internet of Things technology, and the availability of smart devices useful in efficient mobile learning and for mobile virtual laboratories make possible the developments of reliable cloud or fog infrastructures for e-learning. This paper is based on [1] and [2] when claims about the increasing reliability of modern cloud/fog architectures. In authors' vision, smart devices are electronic devices, connectable to other devices or networks supporting autonomous or interactive operation, including sensors capable 'to feel' the physical world, as considered in [2]. Mobile laboratories can be used not only to measure/diagnose, maintain, or repair various entities, but also for training and/or examination. Virtual laboratories, based currently on cloud computing, could benefit of fog computing developments. The proposal is a service oriented architecture, as shown by [3] and [4], extended to support the fog computing paradigm [1, 2]. References: 1. Bonomi F., Milito R., Zhu J. Addepalli S. "Fog Computing and its Role in the Internet of Things", Proceedings of MCC'12, August 17, 2012, Helsinki, Finland, pp. 13-15, 2012. 2. Madsen, Henrik; Burtschy, Bernard; Albeanu, G.; Popentiu-Vladicescu, Fl., Reliability in the utility computing era: Towards reliable Fog computing, 2013 20th International Conference on Systems, Signals and Image Processing (IWSSIP). IEEE, 2013. p. 43-46. 3. H. Madsen, G. Albenu, R.C. Tarca, Fl.Popentiu-Vladicescu, Service-Oriented Reliability Analysis For Collaborative Mechatronic Laboratories Involved In Virtual Training, ESREL 2010, Annual Conference, 5-9 September 2010, Rhodes, Greece. 4. R.D. Albu, R.C. Tarca, Fl.Popentiu-Vladicescu, Ildiko Margit Pasc, Designing Reliable Web-Based Virtual Laboratory Architectures, The 6th International Scientific Conference eLSE "eLearning and Software for Education", pp. 403-409, Bucharest, April 15-16 2010.