Group design project in control engineering: Adapting to COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Group Design Project (GDP) is a common education strategy in engineering. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, GDP cannot be fulfilled in a typical lab condition. The paper describes an example of delivering intensive hands-on, group project-based engineering course Autonomous Vehicle Dynamics and Control at Cranfield University. The project was designed to be implemented using modern simulation tools. As a result, students have not only obtained a better understanding of the engineering areas but also learned the usage of essential engineering and IT tools. The students obtained skillsets useful in modern engineering applications, where a simulation environment could improve the quality of the system before deployment and reduce a development cost.