Engineering majors at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are designing, implementing, and debugging the hardware and software for embedded control systems using a multimedia interactive learning system laboratory. Students learn the fundamentals of embedded control systems while building portions of target systems in eight laboratory projects. Multimedia interactive tutorials facilitate learning the fundamental principles and laboratory techniques required to carry out the projects. These tutorials use text, graphics, still color images, full motion video, audio, and animation to present information. Hardware and software, available as part of the laboratory bench-station equipment, is used to implement and debug the embedded control of the target system. Multimedia Tutorial Systems at each station hold the knowledge bases, hardware, and software required for interactive learning. Two Digital Video Development Systems provide video- data compression in the multimedia system resulting in higher quality video and faster access time. This laboratory approach allows teaching embedded control to all engineering students independently of discipline. It uses a multimedia interactive learning methodology which can be easily adapted at other institutions to complement traditional learning modes.
