A Virtual Course on Automation of Agricultural Systems

New teaching methods and innovative techniques have recently appeared that aim to enhance students' motivation and improve their education. This paper describes the experience of developing a virtual course on modern automation of agricultural systems. It includes both classical teaching tools and novel teaching methods, taking advantage of new information and communication technologies (ICT). The course is based on the WebCT platform and includes interactive tools and both a virtual and a remote laboratory for greenhouse climate control and fertirrigation teaching/learning.

[1]  Sebastián Dormido-Canto,et al.  AN INTERACTIVE TOOL FOR INTRODUCTORY NONLINEAR CONTROL SYSTEMS EDUCATION , 2002 .

[2]  Francisco Rodríguez,et al.  Web‐based remote control laboratory using a greenhouse scale model , 2005, Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ..

[3]  Sebastián Dormido,et al.  Interactive Learning of Constrained Generalized Predictive Control , 2003 .

[4]  Y. Hashimoto,et al.  The computerized greenhouse. Automatic control application in plant production. , 1993 .

[5]  M. Berenguel,et al.  Interactive teaching of constrained generalized predictive control , 2005, IEEE Control Systems.

[6]  José Luis Guzmán,et al.  VIRTUAL LAB FOR TEACHING GREENHOUSE CLIMATIC CONTROL , 2005 .

[7]  Astrom Computer Controlled Systems , 1990 .

[8]  C. S. G. Lee,et al.  Robotics: Control, Sensing, Vision, and Intelligence , 1987 .

[9]  Naresh K. Sinha,et al.  Modern Control Systems , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics.

[10]  T. Urdan,et al.  Corporate elearning: exploring a new frontier , 2000 .

[11]  Pierluigi Febo,et al.  The CIGR project for the harmonization of Agricultural Engineering University Curricula , 1994 .

[12]  Mikael Johansson,et al.  Dynamic pictures and interactive learning , 1998 .

[13]  Sebastián Dormido-Canto,et al.  The Role of Interactivity in Control Learning , 2005 .

[14]  I. Segal,et al.  Greenhouse climate control. , 1990 .

[15]  Sebastián Dormido-Bencomo,et al.  Control learning: present and future , 2004, Annu. Rev. Control..

[16]  H. Challa,et al.  Greenhouse Climate Control: An Integrated Approach , 2001 .

[17]  Karl Johan Åström,et al.  Interactive tools for education in automatic control , 1998 .