Use of Remote Laboratories in Engineering as an Alternative to Pedagogical Mediation and Social Inclusion in Distance Education

Abstract

The use of new learning tools based on ubiquitous learning has become a pedagogical mediation tool in which the student can learn from anywhere, however, the incorporation of infrastructure based on remote administration systems has made it more and more possible that this type of learning permits to be a real alternative of pedagogical mediation and at the same time generate social inclusion, making it possible to cover students who are located in distant areas and who have difficulties in accessing laboratory practices. Being the access to resources the predominant factor that prevails in any high quality accreditation process in institutions. The institutions in favor of improving the institutional demands make enormous efforts so that these requirements are met; however, the infrastructure in the institutions becomes a great problem to solve, since there are not enough laboratories and each one of them does not have the supplies to perform laboratory practices and this is added to the high costs they incurred, in addition to the maintenance of them. The development of this type of projects allows students to involve the use of new technologies in the emerging processes of engineering in their social environment as well as real experiments, in sufficient quantity and quality that enhance the ability to learn and master the science.