Development and Implementation of Teaching Aids to enhance the

Understanding of Control Systems

Dr Mahmoud AbdulwahedProf Zoltan K Nagy andDr Adam R Crawford

Loughborough University

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

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

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

Simulink 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

Analysis Toolkit

• 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

Virtual Laboratory

• Stand-alone freely available virtual laboratory

• Standard undergraduate control systems demonstration (Tank level control)

• Comes with a hands-on laboratory manual

• Simulink activity manual and assignment

• Virtual laboratory (PCVL) manual

• CSAT manual and control systems analysis exercises

• Associated WebPages on www.ilough-lab.com

Dissemination

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)

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)

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