Affordable Integration and Assessment of Hands-On Labs, Virtual Learning, and Engineering Management in Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Education

Abstract

In Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) education, the development of a hybrid approach to effectively cover both the technical and the managerial knowledge required to successfully design and implement a PLC system is very important. Compared to recently developed virtual and/or physical PLC learning systems, we propose an integrated system that provides three pedagogical solutions: 1) the physical configuring of hardware and software, 2) the overall laying out of the PLC system from an engineering management viewpoint, and 3) budgetary conforming affordability concerns raised in small departments from the perspectives of purchasing, maintenance, expandability, and student ownership.

The developed hybrid learning systems enables each student to first learn PLC programming in a virtual setting. While at the same time the students play a managerial role in planning a physical PLC application system by using engineering management tools. Each student then uses a flexible construction subsystem (scale model), and knowledge of PLC programming to validate a fully functional PLC system, that the student has ownership over. The above mentioned learning components are integrated into a relatively low cost package.
During the implementation of this learning system, the instructor may evaluate each student‟s learning outcomes through quizzes, tests, and projects. This paper demonstrates the affordability and effectiveness of the proposed learning system with an assessment result. Extensions of the learning modules for this learning system are discussed.