Traditional lectures are not effective for teaching practical subjects. Therefore, it is important to develop a sufficient methodology to provide the conceptual and practical aspects of a course to the students. In this paper, we describe the challenges faced in the implementation of active learning methods in the subject of Data Communication & Computer Network in vocational education at the Federal Institute of Brasília. The experiences resulted in a blended methodology, which combines collaborative and problem-based learning with a learning management system. The flipped classroom was also applied in order to enhance the quality of the references used by the students in the solutions. In addition, traditional apps and social networks were used to improve the communication between students and teachers. The practical activities were applied in a small computer network laboratory, but in the first semester of 2016 it was improved, and a new high performance Datacentre was built. Thus, interdisciplinary aspects and research were explored including the relationship between vocational and graduate courses. Moreover, transversal skills, such as teamwork, leadership, self-confidence and autonomy in decision-making were developed. The research was conducted from 2011 to 2016, and 147 students were enrolled with an average of 14 students per class. Such features demonstrate that the learning methodology must be fit for the course and the educational level in order to become effective. © 2018 TEMPUS Publications.
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