Application of New Teaching Technologies in Electrical Engineering in the University.

Hypermedia Systems are being increasingly used as tools for obtaining information and are proving to be very effective instruments in the world of education, making up for the shortcomings of traditional methods. The advantages offered by Hypermedia Systems are numerous, since the student can choose from a set of links how he wishes to proceed on his way through the system, thanks to interactivity, which is one of the most characteristic properties of hypermedia. Moreover, in order to overcome the limitations of traditional Hypermedia Systems which present information in one direction only (from system to user), it has been endowed with the property of being adaptable, both to the student profile and to decision-taking. This is based on the information obtained about the student, which will be modified throughout the time the student interacts with the system. Our System is based on triggering a learningfollow-up-evaluation of the student through the carrying out of objective tests accompanied by personal reports. Hence the student, after acquiring some basic knowledge on a specific topic of Electrical Engineering, will be able to ascertain his stage of learning by means of the undertaking of different objective tests. His answers will not only provide information as to whether he has passed the test, but also will indicate the concepts he needs to study further. He will also be able to gain access, at any given moment, to an explanation of the test in question, and through the help of hypertexts, will be able to navigate towards the information that he would have needed to know in order to answer the item correctly. The System pursues a form of teaching which is closer to the student and adapted to his specific needs, as it is capable of adapting the test contents according to the changing knowledge of the student. This increases accessibility and provides him with the opportunity to do more advanced tests which are aimed at evaluating more complex concepts, using previous achievements as their base. The teacher will, at all times, be aware of the current situation of each of the students, since the programme, with the aid of an e-mail server, will keep its data-base updated, thus achieving an individualised assessment of the student, something which is impossible in Higher Education in Spain, due to overcrowding in Engineering classrooms. Previous papers have shown the efficiency of the use of objective tests in university studies. Hypermedia Systems are currently being used as a complement to university studies, with a notable improvement in results.