A nonlinear control strategy to enhance the transient stability and voltage regulation in a Single Machine Infmite Bus (SMIB) with a static VAR compensator (SVC) connected to a transmission line is explained, as part of an advanced course of Materials for Power Lines design. The generator excitation and the SVC regulator controllers are designed independently, considering the uncertainties of the generator structure and the interconnection between subsystems as perturbations. A high-order sliding-mode (HOSM) control scheme is developed for this purpose, obtaining robustness in presence of uncertainties and parameter variations. Numerical simulations developed in this work provide an innovative training tool for teachers in the area of automatic control and materials engineering, to expand the understanding of the underlying dynamics of these control systems.