VIRTUAL WEB FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF TRAINING OF TECHNICIANS IN METAL STRUCTURES (MECES-1 EQF-5) WITHIN THE TECHNICAL COLLEGE SPANISH EDUCATION FRAMEWORK M. Peinazo Morales 1 , P. Aparicio Martinez 2 , G. Pedros-Perez 1 , S. Pinzi 3 , A.J. Perea-Moreno 1 , M.P. Martinez-Jiménez 1 1 Dep. Applied Physics, Albert Einstein Building, Rabanales Campus, Universidad de Cordoba (SPAIN) 2 Nursing department, Medicine and Nursing Center of Universidad de Córdoba (SPAIN) 3 Physical Chemistry and Applied Thermodynamics, Universidad de Cordoba (SPAIN) Abstract Lab practice is essential in the industrial subjects learning process. The use of the Tensile Strength Trials Virtual Web Laboratory for the industrial technicians training assessment allows reproducing the conditions of an experimental workplace. This web is a very significant educational resource, overcoming some of the real limitations and improving the flexibility and accessibility to practice. The research main purpose is focused on establishing a relation between the use of this Lab and the improvement in the students learning process. This lab has been used by experimental in the opposite of control groups. The methodology has been based on the results analyze of the assessment, which has been represented and compared according to the aims. The total grades (N=288) statistical assessment has shown the effectiveness using this software. Finally, a satisfaction questionnaire to evaluate the usefulness filled by students whose give it a positive evaluation (mean 6 points on 7). All this implies that the use of the afore mentioned software together with the practice sessions have contributed to improve the development of the necessary procedures and skills to solve the practical problems related to these destructive tests and to draft reports on them. In the same way, it is possible to affirm that the methodology based on the use of the software improves the acquisition of personal and social competences Keywords: Virtual laboratory, b-learning, tensile strength tests, vocational training. 1 INTRODUCTION In the last decades a significant increase of the use of the new technology in the engineering teaching domain has been the development and spread of educational computing tools through the internet and new platforms such as the mobile web and apps [1]-[3]. This has resulted in a wide range of interactive teaching tools accessible from a computer, mobile phone, or tablet. These types of applications improve the performance of the educational process and the self-learning abilities among the students, enabling the self-assessment of their knowledge and validating the teaching/learning process involving both the student and the professor [4]- [5]. In this context, it is necessary to take into account the fact that some social changes linked to globalization, such as the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), have created a nurturing environment for the development of new methodology strategies in the teaching and learning process based on competence development. Deriving from this, the web based learning environments have become very popular in technical college education, being one of the most important educational resources the VL and the Interactive Virtual Platform (IVP), which is a b-learning training platform including VL [6]. Many studies [7]-[12]; have proven the usefulness of the b-learning platforms with VL as a means to enable interactive communication, allowing the access to all kinds of information (texts, images, graphs, videos, etc.) [13]. In these working conditions, the teaching quality has been proven to notably increase [14]. Currently, the VLs and the Interactive Virtual Platforms (IVP) are some of the most widely used computer applications in subjects related to Engineering fields in Technical College Education programmes [6],[12],[15]-[19]. In this context, the Spanish Ministry for Education has promoted, within the programme “Internet en el Aula” (Internet inside the classroom), framed within the Plan Avanza, the development, preparation, and validation of Virtual Labs on Mechanical Tensile Strength testing. The computer app has been developed by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnologías Educativas y de Proceedings of EDULEARN17 Conference 3rd-5th July 2017, Barcelona, Spain ISBN: 978-84-697-3777-4 10508