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Hot-Lab Support
Until now, the R&D Labs Initiative has helped Universities
by donation of educational boards and equipment, as a way to assist
Institutions to build their own laboratories. The R&D Hot-Lab
Support Project is conceived as one step ahead to improve the use
of existing and newly created labs. For this purpose, ISTEC has
created an academic support group to develop IT&T curricula,
through different activities:
Curricular Discussion: although main Latin-American Universities
usually have updated curricula and staff, most of small Universities
need curricula contents upgrades and training of teachers on the
use of new technologies. This task is usually difficult based on
the lack of financial resources, lack of information, fear of change,
and/or bureaucratic issues. By installing a wide Curricular analysis
and discussion, ISTEC intends to help its members to share experiences,
reasons, drafts, and improve their IT&T curricula. This common
basement also helps to share courses and materials easily.
Courses Development: having found common teaching objectives, and
having common R&D Labs, courses are developed using local languages,
and continuously adjusting to the existing educational content and
materials. This task profits from the synergy of experiences of
the universities involved, regarding content and appropriate technology
for the development of courses. Proposed courses do not only cover
only Labs Workout, but also theoretical issues like digital design,
microprocessors, signal processing, hardware description languages,
simulation and control, new technologies, new standards, etc.
Database Development: In order to make available the information
that is being generated in the various laboratory systems, a web-based
database is also accessible to all participants. This information
enables personnel to use their own technology, mechanisms, and techniques.
On-Line Support: ISTEC assigns a skilled team to give full support
to R&D Labs users, by using the WWW and the email, or other
tools (like teleconferencing) is used when available.
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