Development of a computer‐aided educational tool incorporating MATLAB for engineering measurements

Abstract This paper presents the development of a multimedia package to help students in the learning of engineering measurements. The stimulus for developing the computer‐aided educational tool derives from the continuing need for engineers to understand and apply mathematical models in the design of measurement systems. Besides providing fundamental background in the theory of engineering measurements, the main features of the computer‐aided tool include the integration of multimedia with Matlab and Microsoft Excel to allow students to conceptualize the relationship between abstract mathematical models to practical situations. The integration not only provides interactively facilities to engage students in the exploration of signals and measurement system behaviors, but also offers random dynamic quizzes that could automatically change the question parameter and generate the correct answer. The considerations and discussions in this paper may be useful for the advancement of computer‐aided instructional tools in other subject areas. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 17: 206–213, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae20204