Descrição
Modeling discrete event systems with sequential behavior
can be a very hard and complex task. Some formalisms are
used in this context, such as: Petri Nets, Statecharts, Finite
automata, Grafcet and others. Among these, Grafcet seems to
be a good choice because it is easy: to learn, to understand and
to use. Teaching Grafcet is then relevant within engineering
courses concerned with Industrial Automation.
A virtual laboratory, e-GRAFCET, developed and first
tested in UTAD University; it is a new, easy-to-use multimedia
e-educational tool to support the self-learning process of
Grafcet. This paper, reports a study of e-GRAFCET use by the
students of University of Minho. A questionnaire was prepared
and students asked to fulfill it in a volunteer basis. The results
were statistically analyzed and the scores compared. The
overall objective is to understand how the tool helps students in
their study, and consequently improve their learning off
Grafcet, independently of their engineering background.
; Oliveira, Filomena 
