Background: Conventional DC motor experiments are typically carried out on fixed platforms in laboratories and evaluated through paper-based reports. This approach has several drawbacks, such as spatiotemporal constraints, limited load types, and the lack of process-based assessment.
Intended Outcomes: To address these issues, an online DC motor experiment system supporting remote operation has been developed. This system provides real-time feedback to help users understand DC motor operations under various loads. Moreover, the system identifies operational weaknesses and offers specific suggestions for improvement.
Application Design: The hardware implementation of the system employs an STM32 controller running a PI control algorithm, which can simulate the mechanical properties of various loads precisely. This is complemented by a web-based platform developed with ASP.NET, which enables remote operation and real-time data visualization. Furthermore, an intelligent evaluation module leverages neural network models to perform automated assessments and provide feedback on the experimental process.
Findings: The system enhances the learning experience by combining an intuitive interface with versatile load simulations under standardized procedures. Furthermore, its intelligent assessment generates automated, data-rich reports, offering key support and making it a practical tool for advancing outcome-based education.
Background: PID controllers are fundamental to automatic control courses. While the traditional class provides mathematical foundations, experimental learning through direct interaction with a physical system enables deeper understanding. With its unstable dynamics, the ball and beam system is particularly well-suited to illustrate feedback control principles tangibly and interactively.
Intended outcomes: This study seeks to assist students in improving their capacity to optimize PID gains to minimize overshoot and decrease settling time to attain the setpoint. The course’s final laboratory activity was centered around a student competition, which promoted teamwork and reinforced the theoretical and practical concepts of control systems in engineering.
Application design: The ball and beam system consists of a servo motor-actuated beam and a time-of-flight (ToF) sensor mounted at the beam’s hinged end for real-time position feedback. Based on the students’ configuration, the Arduino microcontroller processes the sensor data and dynamically adjusts the beam’s tilt to maintain the ball at the desired position.
Findings: The competition-based approach fostered a highly motivated learning environment, as students were driven to develop the most effective PID tuning strategy. Learning with hardware enhanced student engagement and provided a multidisciplinary experience.


