Teaching Electric Drives Control Course: Incorporation of Active Learning Into the Classroom

This paper describes an attempt to improve the educational methods of an electrical drives control lecture course by incorporating active learning strategies into the classroom. The proposed active learning strategy is based on the combined use of both sample-guided and student-oriented learning approaches and student learning assessments. The main objective of this initiative is to rapidly and easily equip undergraduate engineering students with more practical knowledge of advanced adjustable speed drives control strategies through the use of a minimal number of flexible DSP-based setups. The course organization, including the educational prerequisites and strategies, is described, and several intuitive examples devoted to modeling, simulation, and implementation of ac induction motor (IM) drive control are provided. The proposed educational method gives students an intuitive way of grasping the main concepts and offers them the opportunity to apply their knowledge and explore their problem-solving capabilities. A questionnaire elicited student feedback on the development of their knowledge and practical skills as well as their achievement of learning goals; the results of this evaluation are summarized.