Development and implementation of a course in instrumentation and data acquisition for the Penn State baccalaureate degree electro-mechanical engineering technology program

In support of a new four-year Bachelor of Science program in Electromechanical Engineering Technology at Penn State University, USA, an instrumentation and data acquisition course has been developed. This course is targeted at junior level students that already possess a basic knowledge of digital and analog electronics, microprocessors and physical measurements. Initially, the students develop familiarity with sensors and techniques to measure physical phenomena such as force, velocity, acceleration, pressure, temperature and electromagnetic fields. The data acquisition from these sensors is first performed using basic 'manual' methods followed by the introduction of automated techniques using Labview/sup (C/). The course requires the students, working in teams, to complete a semester long project. The project design requires the students to use current material while considering concepts that have not formally been discussed. Planning with flexibility in their designs is crucial to the completion of the projects. As a direct assessment of this course, the students are expected to utilize their knowledge of sensors, data acquisition, product research and design methods in a subsequent laboratory course in control systems. This paper discusses the details of the development of this course.