Study for implementation of a virtual laboratory to promote teaching in the automotive mechanic’s career

Abstract

This research focuses on a study for the implementation of a Virtual Laboratory (LV) for the automotive mechanics career in higher education institutions. The main objective is to improve the learning and teaching of students autonomously and cooperatively through the introduction of laboratory practices in a virtual environment. The research process begins with the bibliographic review, where topics such as Virtual Education, Teaching and Learning Methodologies, Advantages and Disadvantages of ICTs, Virtual Laboratories, Software and Platforms for the creation of the LV are addressed. This research is used to determine the most appropriate platform to develop the virtual environment. Then, the Methodological Framework is established, which is based on the opinion of the automotive mechanics students themselves through a survey. The most relevant practices are selected to be included in the Virtual Laboratory, such as corrective maintenance of the clutch, technical disassembly of manual gearboxes, among others. The development of the Virtual Laboratory was carried out using the Moodle 3.0 platform, and the steps to create the virtual environment are described, including initial settings, course creation, integration of external software such as MATLAB 2019, qualification of activities, user roles and approval and completion of the course. At the end of this process, the conclusions obtained after the development of the technical project are presented. Finally, a user guide is prepared for teachers and students, which provides the necessary steps to use the Virtual Laboratory effectively.