Design of tutorial activities and homework assignments for a large-enrollment introductory course in control systems

This paper presents an integrated design for an undergraduate introductory course control systems at Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH). The core features consist in combining traditional lecture and student led tutorials with weekly homework assignments which have been designed to encourage continuous learning efforts through a review of previous tutorial sessions and a preview on forthcoming lectures. The homework concept is implemented via an open source e-learning platform. A portable DC motor, available through the university library system, serves as an experimental setup, which is tightly integrated into lecture, tutorials and homework. Details on the implementation of the proposed design are given and it is evaluated based on data, which is e.g. collected by evaluation forms completed by students at the end of term.