Virtual Learning Environment for Control Engineering Education

Effective teaching of automation and control engineering technology for undergraduate students is of great importance in contributing to the knowledge and skills needed in the engineering profession. Enriching the teaching with animation-based learning material enhances the quality of teaching, bridges the gap between theory and practice, and promotes students' learning results. This paper discusses educational aspects related to the course material in control engineering and recent improvements in teaching methods at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT). The paper presents some of the control engineering problems covered in different courses at LUT and discusses perspectives on teaching and learning through virtual learning environments. Based on the student feedback on one course project work where animation-based learning material is used, the implications of virtual models in the course development are analyzed in brief.