An Effective Approach to Teach Instrumentation and Control Systems for Engineering Students

Abstract

Contribution: This article presents an Instrumentation and Control (I&C) prototype for engineering postgraduate laboratory program designed to fulfill the quality objectives of the institution. Background: The syllabus and teaching methodology for engineering students have been periodically updated by universities and higher education institutes to meet the demand of industries and accreditation. I&C systems are widely used in several industries. This article seeks to further understand ways that a multidisciplinary approach for teaching in an undergraduate and postgraduate course related to I&C Systems can earn a systematic knowledge to meet industrial demands and accreditation. Intended Outcomes: A lab environment that motivates postgraduate students to create their fundamental concepts of I&C systems engineering, so that they can apply them in real applications. The intended outcomes are: teach multidisciplinary aspects of the subject, to enrich the students' learning process and understanding, in designing robust I&C systems, and meet the criteria laid by ABET. Application Design: Many practical exercises were formulated to teach different aspects of I&C systems engineering. It incorporates multidisciplinary knowledge as required. An I&C systems engineering course taught at the department of Systems and Control at Indian Institute of Technology, is presented as a case study in which the evaluation process was based on institute criteria and the corresponding student outcomes. A student survey was also conducted to know the effectiveness of the teaching approach. Findings: The impact analysis of the proposed method was carried out with respect to the understanding of the students on the designing of I&C systems. An analysis of student's T -test before and after introducing prototype in the course shows the effectiveness of the approach. © 1963-2012 IEEE.