TEMAS is an online repository of learning objects of techniques, tests and standards concerning building structures (concrete, steel, timber, etc), and the main goal is to allow students to experience and see – not only to read about – materials and structures in order to generate an experience that can pinpoint the acquisition of particular and applicative concepts.

Each object is centered around an experimental test on the mechanical characteristics of both materials and structures (for example a bending test of a concrete beam). It includes a commented video clip of the test, integrated with a theoretical introduction, annexes concerning standard references and finally, a self-evaluation test.

The learning objects are available to students in Mechanics, Civil Engineering, and other related cycles in Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), Universities and Technical Universities.

Structure and materials are an important component in these programs, and TEMAS offers a multimedia support for a deeper understanding of concepts by seeing experiments that can rarely and often only partially be replicated in a laboratory. Moreover, everyone can consult standards about structural tests.

In these courses, TEMAS can be used in a blended-learning scenario, where the teacher introduces the subject and then assigns materials for self-learning and a final test.

However, TEMAS can be also used as fully on-line programs and to prepare laboratory sessions. Thanks to the learning object repository developed by the eLab, teachers will easily select the relevant learning objects and embed them in a LMS (for example Moodle).

Another advantages of TEMAS are about the possibility of showing to the students a much larger palette of tests, and to have a very significant savings of laboratory costs (the cost can go up to 50.000 CHF).

The project partners, University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland (DACD-IMC), University of Southern Switzerland (Accademia di Architettura), University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (EIA-Fribourg and EI-Yverdon), University of Lugano (eLab), have a well-established teaching tradition in structures and materials, and all have special lab facilities different from each other’s in which some tests and experiments are run every year.

The basic idea is that such tests can be videotaped, digitized, edited, framed with other relevant information and stored as learning objects. Digital technology within TEMAS are basically a tool for not wasting resources, rather make experiences reusable afterwards.

As no other similar tool is known about covering this topic, it is expected that the project can reach a wide use all over Europe, in all kinds of higher education institutions with programs in this area.