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Matlab Assessment for Final Year Units

Matlab Assessment for Final Year Units. Victor M. Becerra School of Systems Engineering. Outline. Context Contents Software tools employed Materials Tutorials Advantages Disadvantages / Risks Assessment Concluding remarks. Context. Advanced Control is an M-level module at Reading.

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Matlab Assessment for Final Year Units

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  1. Matlab Assessment for Final Year Units Victor M. Becerra School of Systems Engineering

  2. Outline • Context • Contents • Software tools employed • Materials • Tutorials • Advantages • Disadvantages / Risks • Assessment • Concluding remarks

  3. Context • Advanced Control is an M-level module at Reading. • Compulsory in MEng Cybernetics, year 4 • Optional in MSc Cybernetics and for the MEng Robotics.

  4. Context Prior control knowledge by students includes: • Basic analysis in the Laplace domain • Basic frequency design methods • State space analysis and design • Basic knowledge of Matlab/Simulink

  5. Context Prior control knowledge often includes: • Sampled data systems • Introductory optimal and nonlinear control • Introductory system identification

  6. Contents • 20 credit module (40 contact hours) • Divided into four subtopics: • Nonlinear programming • Robust control • Nonlinear control • System identification (until 2011) • Currently 30 hours of lectures and 10 hours of Matlab based tutorials.

  7. Contents • Nonlinear programming • Unconstrained local optimisation • Line Search • Quasi-Newton methods • Constrained local optimisation (SQP) • Evolutionary algorithms • Control applications • Controller tuning • Nonlinear optimal control

  8. Contents • Robust control: • Mixed sensitivity design • MIMO systems analysis • Uncertainty • Robustness • Structured singular value • H∞ control design • Robust PID control

  9. Contents • Nonlinear control • Lyapunov stability concepts • La Salle invariant set theory • Model reference adaptive control • Feedback linearisation • Sliding mode control • Control Lyapunov functions • Backstepping • Written exam answers for this part

  10. Software tools employed • Matlab • Simulink • Control systems toolbox • Optimisation toolbox • Robust control toolbox • Limited third party Matlab code (e.g. differential evolution)

  11. Materials • Materials employed includes: • Lecture notes • Tutorial questions and solutions • Matlab/Simulink code • Past exam questions and solutions

  12. Tutorials • 10 hours of computer based tutorials • Each student is assigned a PC during the tutorial. • Typically one design question is given for each tutorial. • The lecturer is available to answer questions and to provide guidance to the students.

  13. Assessment • 3 hour exam consists of 6 questions, 2 for each section • One question from each section must be answered • Four of the questions require the use of Matlab. • Four Matlab based questions are worth 30 marks each, the other two are worth 20 marks each.

  14. Assessment • Open book • Network connection is mostly disabled during the exam. • Only connections to the Matlab license server and Blackboard are allowed. • Code reuse is possible • If reusing code, student must modify the code to attempt the answer, otherwise no marks.

  15. Assessment • Answers are returned in the form of • Matlab scripts for each question, • MS-Word documents with Matlab plots and other output, • written comment on answer books. • Digital files produced by the students are uploaded using Blackboard. • These files are later printed by the examiner and joined with the answer books prior to marking. • Printing may be tedious but avoids disruption during the exam.

  16. Advantages • The students appreciate the challenge. • It is possible to ask realistic design questions which would be impossible to consider otherwise. • It is still possible to assess analytical skills. • Students are forced to learn the use of software tools that are relevant to industry.

  17. Disadvantages / Risks • It usually takes additional time / effort to prepare the questions and model answers. • Sufficient number Matlab and toolbox licenses is required. • Risk of power failure during exam • Risk of software bugs affecting the students • Either Matlab or the operating system may crash or become irresponsive.

  18. Disadvantages / Risks • Extra PC’s should be on standby • Work space of PC labs not always ideal for written answers • More difficult with large groups. So far groups of up to 18 students have been handled without problems

  19. Concluding remarks • Matlab based exams running for 11 years • Overall the experience has been positive, which is reflected by feedback from the students • External examiners have consistently praised the use of computer based assessment and have suggested its use in other modules

  20. Concluding remarks • Three other modules taught at the School now employ Matlab based assessment: • Nonlinear and Optimal Control, • Signal Processing, • Medical Image Processing. • A new MSc module “Fundamentals of Control Systems” will use Matlab based assessment from 2013.

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