Virtual IoT Laboratory Through a Hands-on Approach in Educational Environments

Equal opportunities in the learning process must become a priority in higher education institutions, where a hands-on approach enhances the training of the students. This research aims to present a virtual Internet of Things (IoT) sensor network to improve online education through a low-cost virtual IoT laboratory. This modular solution uses virtualization to replace hardware platforms, enabling the configuration of virtual nodes at the software level. This proposal combines Virtual Machines (VMs) to create a virtual network infrastructure, configuring each VM as a network device. Thus, there is no need for a large budget to implement hands-on approach laboratories in undergraduate and graduate degrees. Undergraduate technological students of the Instituto Superior Tecnológico Daniel Álvarez Burneo (ISTDAB, abbreviation in Spanish) validate the modular solution in the Network Security subject in the Technology Degree in Network and Telecommunications. A laboratory practice establishes the guidelines for mounting the virtual IoT sensor network. Finally, a satisfaction survey submits the acceptance of the proposal in the academic period (October 2022 - March 2023). Furthermore, the information provides evidence of the flexibility of the modular system in different scenarios.