Abstract:

The aim of the project was to encourage the access to feed formulation software from any location using remote virtual desktops running in a centralized hosting server, promoting the use of tools and environments for networking, mainly in a non-presential context (autonomous student work out of the classroom) through the virtual desktop of the University of Murcia (EVA). The study was conducted on the subject of Animal Nutrition in the Veterinary Medicine Degree of the University of Murcia during the course 2014/2015. This strategy was used in two practical sessions of feed formulation, in which the students had to use privative software that could not be distributed. A small manual or tutorial was developed to facilitate the access to the EVA virtual desktop. At the end of the term, a 4-question survey was conducted to evaluate the degree of satisfaction of the students on the use of the virtual desktop (n=89), and the usage statistics were consulted. The 93 % of students of this subject used the virtual desktop. In addition, there was a positive opinion of the students to access online to the licensed software, reaching a value of 4.3±0.9 using an increasing 5-point scale. However, the ease of use had slightly lower score (3.8±1.1), and the students listed some drawbacks (its dependent on browser or JAVA version, poor or slow performance, etc.). Therefore, the instructors of the subject expressed interest in virtual environments and networking tools to promote access to educational software from any place and at anytime.

Keywords:

Remote virtual desktop, networking environment, privative software, satisfaction survey.