The document discusses integrating free and open source software and hardware tools into an undergraduate electronic engineering program in Colombia. It notes that while proprietary software and hardware are traditionally used, free alternatives are gaining importance. It proposes adopting strategies to incorporate free and open source resources into course projects as a way to lower costs while exposing students and teachers to new technologies.

1. Integrating Free-Open Source
Tools as Teaching Resources for
an Electronic Engineering
Undergraduate Program
Tavo Meneses
Colombia

2. INTRODUCTION
Since the last decade of the twenty
century the influence of computers, the
Internet, and Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs), has
progressively increased on teaching-
learning activities for engineering
programs in our country.

3. INTRODUCTION
Parallelly to the multiplicity of traditional
proprietary software and hardware
resources used in universities, an
alternative trend, based on free-open
source resources for software and
hardware, has gained importance for
academic community members.

4. MOTIVATION
In Colombia, traditionally the proprietary
resources for hardware and software,
cover most of the applications used by
students, teachers and Institutions, but in
order to comply the legal issues regarding
licensed software the availability of
resources become narrower and upgrades
are scarce.

5. Commercial-Proprietary SW/HW
Resources
•
High Costs
•
High Quality Support
•
Upgrades and Licenses demands money
investment most of the Times
•
Highly Standarized
•
Key Information is Restricted

6. Free-Open SW/HW Resources
•
For Free or Lower Costs
•
Community
•
Shared Resources
•
Users Involved
•
Favors Research
•
Easy Upgrades
•

7. Resources for Almost Every Topic…

8. Possible Scheme of Integration of ICTs and
F/OSS-Hw Resources to Teaching Activities

9. Adoption of strategies for incorporating
F-OSS/HW resources to teaching activities

10. Incorporating F-OSS/HW resources to
teaching in Electronic Engineering trough
the development of a course project

11. RESULTS

12. RESULTS

13. CONCLUSIONS
•
New strategies to use alternative
technological resources like FOSS-HW for
educational purposes could represent a
valuable tool for teachers because they can
constitute an instrument to widen their
professional skills

14. CONCLUSIONS
•
free-open source software/hardware is a
promising research field for students and
teachers.
•
Research activities on F-OSS/HW could
contribute to cross boundaries imposed by
people’s insufficient economic capability
which is derived from low incomes in
developing countries like ours.