Incorporating instructional feedback in electrical engineering laboratory experiments-an example

The advantages of incorporating software tools, other than simulation packages, in electrical engineering laboratory experiments are discussed in this correspondence. This approach supports the prerequisite lecture material and allows study and understanding of some practical issues which are best handled through a laboratory experiment. It is also shown that only through software can instructional feedback be easily integrated in the students' work. Time and effort are optimized and difficulties in assimilating the material and correlating the results are minimized. A detailed laboratory experiment, namely performance analysis of an induction motor, which is significantly enhanced with the support of a software package called Mathead, is provided as an example.