Project-based Learning for Control Education during COVID-19 Pandemic

The paper presents a project-based learning approach for the undergraduate level first course on control systems in the context of electrical and computer engineering program. We share the experience of a complex engineering project model that assumes no access to lab facility due to the COVID-19 pandemic but targets learning outcomes of a fundamental control system course, i.e., system modeling, performance investigation, analysis, design of analog or digital controller for a selected open-loop unstable system. The project utilizes Tinkercad Circuits which is a free online circuit simulator. The approach provides a solution to one of the challenges of remote or virtual engineering labs, i.e., a requirement of having high-performance expensive hardware and resource-intensive software support. Results are presented in terms of student samples and learning outcomes achieved at the end of the project.