Interactive course for Control Theory Erasmus Project

Project Title

Interactive course for Control Theory

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Based on the surveys performed each academic year as part of the internal evaluation of lecturers at various universities a conclusion can be made that students often have some kind of dissatisfaction with courses related to Control Theory. As an improvement of this situation an idea to create an interactive course was born. In order to check the students’ opinion about such a course a survey has been made. The survey had two questions:
1. How would you rate the difficulty of Control Theory in relation to other courses?
2. What is/would be your preferred way of studying it?
The results of the survey clearly showed that students find Control Theory difficult in comparison with other courses. They also shows that an interactive course would be their preferred way of studying it. As no such course is available, an idea for an Erasmus+ project titled: “Interactive Course for Control Theory” (ICCT) was born among the contact persons of partners, which know each other from Japan (they all namely studied or made research at the Intelligent Control System Lab at the Tokyo University). All of them are now professors in their own countries. The idea for such a partnership of four universities from various countries is beneficial as an interactive course for students with varying background knowledge can be made. Study programs in various EU countries namely differ a lot. Not only at the level of universities, but also at the high school level. Control Theory is namely build on the knowledge obtained in various previous courses (Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Programming, etc.). The staff of the partners which took part in the project also covers various fields (UNILJ-Mechanical Engineering, UNIPI-Manufacturing, UNIBU-Electrical Engineering and Robotics and UNIRI-Computer Engineering). So, each partner was able to contribute to the Interactive Course from his point of view.
As part of the ICCT the following activities took place:
1. Analysis of available frameworks for interactive course
2. Framework for the Interactive Course for Control Theory
3. The Interactive Course for Control Theory
4. Testing of the draft version of the Interactive Course
5. ICCT handbook
6. The addition of FAQ and exam examples to the interactive course
7. Final trial testing
The whole course (interactive examples, manual, FAQ and exam examples) is available in English and the languages of the partners.

In order to disseminate the project a multiplier event was organized. We however planed to achieve bigger impact as a result of attendance at various conferences that all the lecturers must attend because of their elections (we are also carrying out this activity after the completion of the project). As no extra costs are associated with such an attendance, they are not formally entered in the project proposal. We however find the informal meetings taking part at such conferences as the best chance to disseminate the results of this project among other lecturers, which will also be encouraged to translate the interactive course to their own language (if it is not available in their language yet).

The students of the Control Theory related courses were the main participants in the project. In all four partner universities there were approximately 2000 of them during the project. The target group were of course all EU students. They got the information about the interactive course through their lecturers and also through their fellow students who got acquainted with it due to Erasmus+ exchange programs at partner universities (this activity was/is however quite reduced during the Covid pandemic).

The main impact of the project is a better comprehension of Control Theory related courses. As a result the satisfaction with these courses and grades has increased significantly at some universities (University of Ljubljana). Especially at bachelor level, the average number of exams taken before passing it successfully, was reduced by almost 50%. The average grades have also increased significantly (2.33 for the course with the largest increase and 0.93 for the lowest on the 1~5 scale). It should however be emphasized that these impacts should be taken by a pinch of salt as everyone had to tackle the pandemic. The exams were for example taken in another way (online or without oral exams). Also there were only online lectures at some universities during the major part of the project. So, in order to have reliable information about the impact, the situation after the pandemic will have to be observed.

As another result of this project a strategic partnership of four universities was made, which makes an easier cooperation on future projects. One Erasmus+ project with two of the partners being part of the consortium is already being executed. Several other had been proposed.

Project Website

https://icct.cafre.unipi.it/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 262933 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANI & Country: SI

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITA DI PISA
• SVEUCILISTE U RIJECI-TEHNICKI FAKULTET
• BUDAPESTI MUSZAKI ES GAZDASAGTUDOMANYI EGYETEM