Development and implementation of a course in mechatronics

Describes the relevant issues involved with the development and implementation of a course in mechatronics. Mechatronics has received considerable attention over the last few years in academic circles as well as in industry and in the public sector. In this work, a clear goal of a mechatronics course is formulated as a process-based educational experience whereby students are directed towards three end results. Specifically, students are: encouraged to subscribe to a learn-how-to-learn ideal, shown by example that a teamwork approach can often synergistically improve overall group performance, and given a basic set of tools and techniques through which a variety of dynamic systems problems in mechanics and electronics can be solved. The paper presents some preliminary results of the effectiveness of this approach in improving the educational experience.