An Approach for Improving Student Performance in a Feedback Systems Course for Process Control Education

Abstract This paper describes a new approach that has been applied since 2011 with the students of the Feedback Systems course to increase not only the control knowledge and approval rate but also to improve their hands-on practical skills and to prepare them for the industry. Alongside the theoretical lessons and laboratory activities, the students complete their activities with the design and implementation of a physical homemade plant where they make case studies in modeling, calibration, sensor and actuator electronic circuits, simulation, PID tuning and real-time control code under a step by step collection schedule. As result of this laboratory activity, significant progress is observed in the quality, motivation and learning (students feels so good in understanding control topics). The forth experiment of the final practical laboratory task is discussed and it is based on a PID tuning when applied to the fan-and plate, process to be built. Student evaluation is based on a questionnaire to obtain a useful measurement linked to the gain of the final performance.