Search

This paper focuses on the changes in tertiary education to reflect the changes in both technology and advances in the control field. It is necessary for educators to continually update both the content and delivery of control related topics to prepare graduates for the future. This paper is separated into two different foci. The first part looks at advances in technology alongside the changing needs of society and reviews how the control community is responding to these changes. The second part focuses more on learning resources and reviews some of the freely available tools that are available to students and professors to help students better understand both the topic and its importance to society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social constructivism is considered the main driver of curriculum overhaul for the new set of learning in the digital age. Implementation of cost-effective solutions of social constructivism in higher education is a challenge. The paper circumnavigates around the principle and practice methods and implemented in a module design for robotics teaching to students from diverse academic backgrounds and familiarity levels. A gap analysis between the current practices of a generalized module design and a social constructive approach revealed the specific areas for a focussed approach to consider. Such strategies are employed in the module redesigning strategy and found cost-effective and impactful in Engineering higher education. The designed module is presented to engineering students in an integrated robotics education in the context of control, communication, sensing and biomechatronics. Multiple implemented innovations for social constructivism in different aspects of the module have not only made it a popular option among engineering students but also resulted in better engagement, student achievement, inclusivity, and resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an instructional framework for process identification, combining theoretical concepts with practical laboratory exercises, focusing particularly on the identification of first‐order‐plus‐time‐delay models. Our methodology emphasizes guiding students through the various stages involved in the system identification process, namely mastering techniques, such as data acquisition and preprocessing, identification and validation stages, and method comparison. The laboratory assignment is structured into three distinct stages: an initial prelab task working with simulated data, the hands‐on work with laboratory equipment, and the assignment report writing and oral presentation. The assessment of students' learning outcomes is conducted using a detailed rubric. Feedback from a focus group interview indicates that the majority of students appreciated the well‐balanced content, highlighting a strong link between theoretical concepts and practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Recent efforts including the U.S. Department of Education's Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students, designed to strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, typify the development of effective outreach programs implemented in high school settings to increase STEM achievement and literacy and to promote future careers in STEM. Specifically, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are topics of great importance and interest but are often reserved for higher-level education. Introductions of complex subjects in high school promotes student efficacy, enthusiasm, and skill-development for STEM careers. Establishing strong partnerships between universities and high schools is mutually beneficial for the professional development of students, teachers, and professors. In this paper, we detail immersive outreach efforts and their effectiveness in a high school setting. Methods: From Spring 2021 to Spring 2024, we conducted eight data-science and analysis-coding style workshops along with two data science units, with 302 students participating in the data science workshops and 82 students in the data science units. All students who participated in the data science lessons completed a comprehensive final project. Surveys measuring knowledge and appeal to data science and coding were conducted both retrospectively and prospectively, before and after each workshop and the data science units. A 1 year follow up survey was conducted for students in the 2023 data science lessons (n = 23). Results: Overall, average student interest significantly increased from 2.72 ± 1.08/5.0 (n = 205) to 3.15 ± 1.18/5.0 (n = 181, p = 0.001) during the data science workshops, while 70% of students expressed desire to continue with coding. Interest modestly increased in the data science lessons from 3.15 ± 0.65/4.0 to 3.17± 0.77/4.0 (n = 82, p = 0.8571), while knowledge significantly increased from 64.16% to 88.5% (% correct out of six questions) in the 2023 data science lessons and from 52.62% to 60.79% (% correct out of 29 questions) in the 2024 data science lessons. Discussion: Increasing STEM exposure through outreach programs and a modified curriculum can positively alter students' career trajectory and prepare them for the evolving technologically advanced world and the careers within it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The two-wheeled self-balancing robot (TWSBR), utilizing an inverted pendulum arrangement, exhibits dynamic stability while being statically unstable. Due to this behavior, the TWSBR system has been used to demonstrate fundamental principles of stability, nonlinear dynamics, and control theory. In this work, a computational study of the TWSBR was carried out to develop a mathematical model using Newtonian mechanics that serves as an educational tool in control education for demonstrating the impact of different control algorithms such as Proportional (P), ProportionalDerivative (PD), and Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) on system stability. The comparison of P, PD, and PID controllers was undertaken to demonstrate the practical advantages of each controller in improving the robot's stability and responsiveness. The PID controller was designed and optimized using the Root-locus techniques, with a damping ratio equal to 1 which exhibits a fast-settling time with minimum overshoots. When an impulse response was applied to the PID controller in the simulation environment it demonstrated system can reach a dynamic balance within 1.2 seconds demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed PID controller. The optimal gain parameters K value and Kp, Ki, and Kd parameter values were determined using root-locus analysis, which allowed the system to operate with great stability and minimum settling time. These findings highlight the TWSBR's educational significance as a hands-on tool for teaching practical applications of control theory, as well as providing valuable insights into the design and optimization of control systems for dynamic balance tasks. This study emphasizes the relevance of control algorithms in achieving rapid and stable dynamic behaviors, making it a valuable learning resource for both students and instructors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionRecent efforts including the U.S. Department of Education’s Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students, designed to strengthen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education, typify the development of effective outreach programs implemented in high school settings to increase STEM achievement and literacy and to promote future careers in STEM. Specifically, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are topics of great importance and interest but are often reserved for higher-level education. Introductions of complex subjects in high school promotes student efficacy, enthusiasm, and skill-development for STEM careers. Establishing strong partnerships between universities and high schools is mutually beneficial for the professional development of students, teachers, and professors. In this paper, we detail immersive outreach efforts and their effectiveness in a high school setting.MethodsFrom Spring 2021 to Spring 2024, we conducted eight data-science and analysis-coding style workshops along with two data science units, with 302 students participating in the data science workshops and 82 students in the data science units. All students who participated in the data science lessons completed a comprehensive final project. Surveys measuring knowledge and appeal to data science and coding were conducted both retrospectively and prospectively, before and after each workshop and the data science units. A 1 year follow up survey was conducted for students in the 2023 data science lessons (n = 23).ResultsOverall, average student interest significantly increased from 2.72 ± 1.08/5.0 (n = 205) to 3.15 ± 1.18/5.0 (n = 181, p = 0.001) during the data science workshops, while 70% of students expressed desire to continue with coding. Interest modestly increased in the data science lessons from 3.15 ± 0.65/4.0 to 3.17 ± 0.77/4.0 (n = 82, p = 0.8571), while knowledge significantly increased from 64.16% to 88.5% (% correct out of six questions) in the 2023 data science lessons and from 52.62% to 60.79% (% correct out of 29 questions) in the 2024 data science lessons.DiscussionIncreasing STEM exposure through outreach programs and a modified curriculum can positively alter students’ career trajectory and prepare them for the evolving technologically advanced world and the careers within it.

This article presents an open-source device illustrating the well-known magnetic levitation experiment. The uniqueness of this particular device lies in its exceptionally small dimensions, affordability and availability, which makes it a perfect design for take-home experiments for education but it can also serve as a referential design for testing various control algorithms in research. In addition, this paper provides a comprehensive hardware design for reproducibility along with the detailed derivation of the mathematical model, system identification and validation. Moreover, the introduced hardware comes with an easy-to-use open-source application programming interface in C/C++ for the Arduino IDE, Simulink and CircuitPython. REXYGEN, another environment similar to Simulink, had also been used to demonstrate the capabilities of the MagnetoShield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the most critical competencies students need to acquire to become control engineers require performing practices under actual industrial conditions. This means that they must not only master the theoretical aspects of the discipline but also acquire skills and attitudes to face unpredictable real-world situations. Software tools such as Matlab/Simulink are widely used to train the design and validation of controllers, but they fail to provide real industrial contexts. Nowadays, there are 3D simulation tools that support recreating industrial environments to a remarkable extent, making them very attractive for university courses. Nevertheless, their application in engineering courses is scarce yet. This paper presents a methodological framework for seizing into competency-based courses one of these simulation tools, called Factory I/O. Our approach was evaluated in a master's course on Industrial PID Control at Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PUCV) in Chile. The evaluation comprised the qualitative analysis of students' grades over four consecutive course editions and the qualitative study of students' opinion on Factory I/O educational value. The objectives of our evaluation were (i) testing if Factory I/O helped students develop skills hard to practice in academic contexts, such as detecting faults or recognizing the importance of having well-defined operation protocols; (ii) validating our methodology for competency-based courses; and (iii) surveying our students about Matlab/Simulink and Factory I/O strengths/weaknesses to teach control engineering. According to the results, (a) Factory I/O complements Simulink by providing an adequate virtual environment to learn the aforementioned skills; and (b) our methodology supports courses' continuous improvement through the statistical analysis of students' achievements at different abstraction levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on extending, disseminating and interpreting the findings of an IEEE Control Systems Society working group looking at the role of control theory and engineering in solving some of the many current and future societal challenges. The findings are interpreted in a manner designed to give focus and direction to both future education and research work in the general control theory and engineering arena, interpreted in the broadest sense. The paper is intended to promote discussion in the community and also provide a useful starting point for colleagues wishing to re-imagine the design and delivery of control-related topics in our education systems, especially at the tertiary level and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]