Electro-Pneumatic Wiring Software for Distance-Learning Students in Automation Control Laboratories

When teaching electro-pneumatic circuits in the automation control class for a distance-learning program, one of the main issues is how to provide hands-on experience for students. In most cases, they can only use simulation design software and watch videos solving laboratory problems without access to the actual equipment. In this paper, the authors developed an electrical wiring software and assembly platform which can help students enhance their hands-on experience when taking the course online. Results show that the performance between on-campus students and distance-learning (DL) students are very similar.