Construction of a Signal Generator: Distance Laboratory

Training in telecommunications engineering requires the development of skills and competencies both in the use of instruments and in their construction. The Telecommunications Engineering program at the Universidad Estatal a Distancia de Costa Rica, due to its distance education model, has developed a model supported by ICTs in 95%. Even with this model, there is still a need to create distance experiences that include working with real equipment, allowing the development of competencies in the use and construction of instruments. Then, the program implemented this distance laboratory where the student assembles a signal generator and uses it in the study of electrical networks. This article presents the process from the design of the laboratory guide, the implementation and evaluation of this distance activity for the study of electrical networks and the importance of the correct identification of some signals. The learning objective of this laboratory is that the student can face a real case of assembly of an instrument such as a signal generator, put it into operation and make measurements to demonstrate its correct operation, all from home. The method applied in the development of the laboratory and its implementation was the scientific method and at the learning level, the techniques incorporated are of the B-learning type. The results of the laboratory demonstrate that the skills normally associated with work in a physical laboratory, where students are guided by a teacher, can also be acquired in the distance education model thanks to the characteristics of the distance education model that encourages self-teaching under mediation, where the student is the central actor. The main conclusion of the article is that the teaching and learning process implemented in the laboratory is crucial for students to develop practice and acquire the desired skills and competencies.