EDBI - An E-Learning Based Project to Improve Engineering Teaching

Elevated rates of failure in Engineering courses at the university level, in addition to the difficulty in attracting new students to courses in this area have made it necessary to implement new and innovative measures to invert this trend. ‘EDBI’ (Ensino à Distância Baseado na Internet) is a project conceived with the purpose of increasing school success and capturing the interest of the students through the implementation of a computer-assisted teaching solution which acts as a pedagogic tool and is used to complement the other traditional teaching methods commonly used when teaching mathematics, electrical and electronics. Aside from the context and goals that were the motive for this project, the strategies and lines of orientation followed in the implementing of the solution, as well as its phases, steps and organization in the current phase of its development will also be described. In addition, it will also explore the alterations that this type of strategy may cause in the roles traditionally attributed to teachers and students, and the effect that these changes bring about in the teacher-student relationship, and in the responsibilities of each. Finally, it will present the principle conclusions obtained up until now.