Experiential Learning in Instrumentation and Measurement: Smart Green Student Team Project [Education in I&M]

In higher education, the importance of discussing with students and creating idea-sharing opportunities among professors and students is still often neglected. In the context of Learning by Doing, the teaching methodology of learning things by doing them, the most important outcome from the education point of view comes from the opportunity to share thoughts and ideas to analyze the work performed and to design together how it can be implemented in the next steps. In particular, in the instrumentation and measurement field, Learning by Doing and teamwork-oriented projects are nowadays collaborative experiences which can be performed both in traditional in-presence laboratories as well as remotely, taking advantage of remote connections to physical equipment and simulation tools [1], [2]. The recent development of learning management systems (LMS) and remotely-controlled measuring interfaces [3], [4] allow students the ability to measure parameters such as current, dc and ac voltages, as well as set and monitor the experiments in real-time. Furthermore, using integrated learning and project-based learning could also enable students to design and develop measurement prototypes that improve the effectiveness of the experimental activity which is an essential aspect in education in instrumentation and measurement [5]. All these approaches proved successful in promoting cognitive flexibility and critical thinking on experimental design.