Implementing Virtual Practices using an Alternative Methodology to Develop Educational Software

Educational Software is one of the pillars of distance learning and educational systems and has become the basic tool for future generations of students. However, recent methodologies used in this development have too many problems: a lack of common theoretical frameworks which can be used by anyone in the project, and excessive formality in both technical and pedagogical factors. Activities employed in the development of educational software are complex because the process depends on the developer\´s expertise, aspects of software engineering, and the acquisition and implementation of pedagogical knowledge. We propose the introduction of "effective practices " within an alternative methodology to develop this kind of software. The identification of effective practices is focused internally to ensure the effective realization of the development process, and externally to guide the pedagogical monitoring of a project. Our effective practices provide the basis of an alternative methodology for the development of educational software under rigorous conditions that enable us to achieve a highly successful and repeatable process in the field of electronic instrumentation.