School of Systems Engineering
Matlab Assessment for
Final Year Units
Victor M. Becerra
School of Systems Engineering
© University of Reading 2012
www.reading.ac.uk
Outline
• Context
• Contents
• Software tools employed
• Materials
• Tutorials
• Advantages
• Disadvantages / Risks
• Assessment
• Concluding remarks
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
2
Context
• Advanced Control is an M-level
module at Reading.
• Compulsory in MEng Cybernetics,
year 4
• Optional in MSc Cybernetics and
for the MEng Robotics.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
3
Context
Prior control knowledge by students includes:
- Basic analysis in the Laplace domain
- Basic frequency design methods
- State space analysis and design
- Basic knowledge of Matlab/Simulink
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
4
Context
Prior control knowledge often includes:
- Sampled data systems
- Introductory optimal and nonlinear control
- Introductory system identification
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
5
Contents
• 20 credit module (40 contact hours)
• Divided into four subtopics:
–
–
–
–
Nonlinear programming
Robust control
Nonlinear control
System identification (until 2011)
• Currently 30 hours of lectures and 10 hours of
Matlab based tutorials.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
6
Contents
• Nonlinear programming
- Unconstrained local optimisation
- Line Search
- Quasi-Newton methods
- Constrained local optimisation (SQP)
- Evolutionary algorithms
- Control applications
- Controller tuning
- Nonlinear optimal control
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
7
Contents
• Robust control:
– Mixed sensitivity design
– MIMO systems analysis
– Uncertainty
– Robustness
– Structured singular value
– H∞ control design
– Robust PID control
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
8
Contents
• Nonlinear control
– Lyapunov stability concepts
– La Salle invariant set theory
– Model reference adaptive control
– Feedback linearisation
– Sliding mode control
– Control Lyapunov functions
– Backstepping
– Written exam answers for this
part
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
9
Software tools employed
•
•
•
•
•
•
Matlab
Simulink
Control systems toolbox
Optimisation toolbox
Robust control toolbox
Limited third party Matlab code (e.g.
differential evolution)
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
10
Materials
• Materials employed includes:
– Lecture notes
– Tutorial questions and solutions
– Matlab/Simulink code
– Past exam questions and solutions
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
11
Tutorials
• 10 hours of computer based tutorials
• Each student is assigned a PC during the tutorial.
• Typically one design question is given for each
tutorial.
• The lecturer is available to answer questions and
to provide guidance to the students.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
12
Assessment
• 3 hour exam consists of 6
questions, 2 for each section
• One question from each
section must be answered
• Four of the questions require
the use of Matlab.
• Four Matlab based questions
are worth 30 marks each, the
other two are worth 20 marks
each.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
13
Assessment
• Open book
• Network connection is mostly disabled during
the exam.
– Only connections to the Matlab license server and Blackboard
are allowed.
• Code reuse is possible
– If reusing code, student must modify the code to attempt the
answer, otherwise no marks.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
14
Assessment
• Answers are returned in the form of
– Matlab scripts for each question,
– MS-Word documents with Matlab plots and other output,
– written comment on answer books.
• Digital files produced by the students are uploaded using
Blackboard.
• These files are later printed by the examiner and joined
with the answer books prior to marking.
– Printing may be tedious but avoids disruption during the exam.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
15
Advantages
• The students appreciate the challenge.
• It is possible to ask realistic design questions which
would be impossible to consider otherwise.
• It is still possible to assess analytical skills.
• Students are forced to learn the use of software tools
that are relevant to industry.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
16
Disadvantages / Risks
• It usually takes additional time /
effort to prepare the questions
and model answers.
• Sufficient number Matlab and
toolbox licenses is required.
• Risk of power failure during exam
• Risk of software bugs affecting the
students
– Either Matlab or the operating system may
crash or become irresponsive.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
17
Disadvantages / Risks
• Extra PC’s should be on standby
• Work space of PC labs not always ideal for
written answers
• More difficult with large groups. So far groups of
up to 18 students have been handled without
problems
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
18
Concluding remarks
• Matlab based exams running for
11 years
• Overall the experience has been
positive, which is reflected by
feedback from the students
• External examiners have
consistently praised the use of
computer based assessment and
have suggested its use in other
modules
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
19
Concluding remarks
• Three other modules taught at the School now
employ Matlab based assessment:
– Nonlinear and Optimal Control,
– Signal Processing,
– Medical Image Processing.
• A new MSc module “Fundamentals of Control
Systems” will use Matlab based assessment from
2013.
Matlab Assessment of Final Year Units
20