A Practical Electronic Instrumentation Course for Engineering Students

A course on Electronic Instrumentation has recently been developed at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain), which specifically emphasizes practical aspects. The objective of the course is to link theoretical principles with practical issues of electronic instrumentation through the development of a final project. First, students take practical work in several different scenarios, which are the basis for the design of an engineering project aimed to solve an electronic instrumentation problem which is set by the students. Students are exposed to a set of multidisciplinary aspects, both theoretical and practical, providing them with the ability of integrating blocks in which they have practically worked into a full instrumentation project. The course provides not only enhanced academic training but also increased student motivation, as students are encouraged to propose their own projects. © 2010 IEEE