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Development and Implementation of Teaching Aids to enhance the Understanding of Control Systems

Development and Implementation of Teaching Aids to enhance the Understanding of Control Systems. Dr Mahmoud Abdulwahed Prof Zoltan K Nagy and Dr Adam R Crawford Loughborough University. Background. Control systems is a multidisciplinary subject which is taught in many engineering degrees

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Development and Implementation of Teaching Aids to enhance the Understanding of Control Systems

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  1. Development and Implementation of Teaching Aids to enhance the Understanding of Control Systems Dr Mahmoud Abdulwahed Prof Zoltan K Nagy and Dr Adam R Crawford Loughborough University

  2. Background • Control systems is a multidisciplinary subject which is taught in many engineering degrees • The general aim was to enhance the learning experience and offer tools for revision and reflection • Resources consist of a virtual labs, computer simulations and video tutorials • The resources were piloted with 50 control systems undergraduates at Loughborough University • These educational resources are freely available for use by other lecturers and students

  3. Rationale • Engineers tend to have experiential, visual and kinesthetic learning styles • Control systems depends on mathematics to a large extent, making it less suitable to some engineers’ preferred learning style • Computer simulations and interactive media may help in making control systems more appealing and accessible • Builds on previous research work (PhD thesis) at Loughborough University between 2007 and 2010

  4. Overview of project plan • Aims and Objectives: • Refine existing computer simulations and a virtual lab developed using Matlab/Simulink and LabVIEW • Develop video tutorials to support Simulink exercises • Develop, using LabVIEW, new educational software to help learn about control systems analysis • Outcomes and Deliverables: • Stand-alone Simulink exercises for control systems • Stand-alone Process Control Virtual Laboratory (PCVL) • Stand-alone Control Systems Analysis Toolkit (CSAT) • All resources are available online with associated WebPages • Case study

  5. Simulink Tutorials Simulink Video Tutorials • Seven tutorials (4-6 minutes each) with interactive descriptions • Multiple choice questions for assessment • Ideal for preparation, revision and self-regulated learning • Can be used online or with a VLE

  6. Analysis Toolkit Control Systems Analysis Toolkit (CSAT) • Stand-alone freely available educational software for control systems analysis • Friendly user interface through LabVIEW Virtual Instrumentation • Useful for self-regulated learning • Can be used as a classroom demonstration tool of theory to facilitate conceptual understanding

  7. Virtual Laboratory Process Control Virtual Laboratory (PCVL) • Stand-alone freely available virtual laboratory • Standard undergraduate control systems demonstration (Tank level control) • Comes with a hands-on laboratory manual

  8. Dissemination • Simulink activity manual and assignment • Virtual laboratory (PCVL) manual • CSAT manual and control systems analysis exercises • Associated WebPages on www.ilough-lab.com Manuals and Web Dissemination

  9. Ongoing usage • Simulink simulations and video tutorials continue to be used with 3rd year Chemical Engineering students • The Process Control Virtual Lab has been used with 2nd year Chem. Eng. students since 2008/2009 • The Control Systems Analysis Toolkit continues to be used from the beginning of the next academic year • All of the teaching and learning aids from the project are made available nationally / internationally via web dissemination (e.g. Open Jorum)

  10. Evaluation • Final course questionnaire, used to measure the students’ perceptions: • Videos were helpful in preparation, revision, etc; • Simulations helpful for conceptual understanding, motivating towards theory, making math less abstract, etc. • Students asked for more resources! • Comprehensive evaluation of the impact of virtual labs was conducted from 2007 to 2010 indicating significant enhanced learning outcomes. For further details, see (Abdulwahed and Nagy, 2008; 2009; & 2011)

  11. Concluding remarks • Computer simulations and interactive media are suitable for engineering students learning styles • Software to develop video tutorials e.g. Camtasia, were easy to use and liked by students • LabVIEW offers a platform with great potential for developing engineering education software applications • Free open education resources can have pedagogical impact and avoid reinventing the wheel • To download and use the resources: www.ilough-lab.com

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