Collaborative and Contextual Learning Experience, Supported in Virtual Scenarios and Software Defined Radio Tools, for the Development of a Communications Laboratory in Engineering

Abstract

The National Open and Distance University—UNAD is an autonomous entity of higher education of a national order, due to its open nature, and at a distance it is supported by virtual learning environments, enabling social inclusion through eight national branches, located in: Amazonía Orinoquia, Centro Boyacá, Caribe, Centro Bogotá Cundinamarca, Centro Oriente, Centro Sur, Occidente and Sur, and has sixty-four educational centers. For our case study, a Software Defined Radio laboratory was developed in the courses: communication systems and antennas and propagation to engineering students nationwide, the total sample was 54 students, divided into two groups, group A from 27 students is the control population that had no interaction with the Software Defined Radio—SDR laboratory, and group B of 27 students is the target population that used the tool and were subsequently evaluated. In addition, group B was applied a laboratory perception instrument, managing to evaluate the pedagogical tool from the contextual experience of each of the students who had interaction with it. Based on the above, the laboratory's impact and relevance validation process was carried out in learning scenarios for engineering courses: communication systems and antennas and propagation.