This educational reform takes the overall improvement of students’comprehensive design ability of electrical control system as the main line and aims at training the electrical technical talents urgently needed in society. It has carried out comprehensive teaching reform and exploration in classroom teaching, experimental teaching, network course construction, teaching materials and teaching team construction, and achieved good results.”Electrical Control and Programmable Controller” is an important professional course of automation, electrical automation, thermostatic element measurement and control technology, electronic information engineering, mechanical engineering and automation of mechanical and electrical class, mechanical and electrical integration and numerical control technology of Higher Vocational class.It is a course that covers a wide range of knowledge, involves many contents, develops rapidly, emphasizes both theory and practical application. It combines closely with practical production and engineering application. It is a professional knowledge that students may apply directly to their jobs. It is also a professional course that employers attach great importance to at the annual double-choice meeting.In order to further strengthen the undergraduate teaching work and improve the quality of undergraduate talent training in an all-round way, each university is implementing a new round of “undergraduate teaching reform and quality engineering”.For this reason, our research group has chosen “Teaching Reform and Practice of Electrical Control and Programmable Controller” as the teaching reform project, and has carried out comprehensive teaching reform and exploration in classroom teaching, experimental teaching, network course construction and textbook construction, and achieved good results.For teachers, what kind of knowledge to impart to students in class, how to impart knowledge, and how to cultivate students’ability and quality in the process of classroom teaching are the basis and key of teaching work.In recent years, in order to improve the teaching quality of this course in an all-round way, we have carefully analyzed the structural characteristics and teaching needs of this course. Focusing on stimulating interest and improving quality, we mainly start with the selection and organization of teaching content and the reform of advanced teaching tools to assist teaching, so as to realize the overall optimization of classroom teaching process.Grasp the selection and organization of classroom teaching content.The course of Electrical Control and Programmable Controller is composed of “Electrical Control Technology” and “Programmable Logic Controller”. The two parts are interrelated and independent. Both parts are widely used in industrial field. The teaching contents of the two parts are equally important.The part of “Electrical Control” mainly includes the introduction of basic electrical components, the analysis of basic electrical control circuit, the analysis and design of traditional complex electrical control circuit and so on.The part of “programmable controller” mainly includes the interface circuit of programmable controller, ladder diagram, state transition diagram and software programming of application instructions, and the application of programmable controller in engineering.This course has the characteristics of less class hours but more teaching contents.
The purpose of the course is to enable students to master the analysis and design of electrical control circuits.In order to achieve the teaching purpose, we are closely around grasping the basic, methodological and applied scientific teaching methods, and grasping the selection and organization of classroom teaching content.The basis of this course is the representation and selection of electrical components, the interface circuit of programmable controller and software programming.This part of the content is very important for students to learn this course well. Students must be proficient in grasping the graphic symbols, text symbols, main features and components selection methods.Therefore, in classroom teaching, we try to explain the working principle, characteristics, graphics and character numbers of the components used in the textbooks in detail as much as possible. We try to use analogy and comparison to teach the more difficult contents such as time relay. We introduce the latest national standards for graphics and character numbers. All the components’graphics and character numbers must be done strictly in accordance with the national standards. In this regard, we should add some homework for selecting components appropriately, requiring students to complete through online query of enterprise information.”Methodology” means that teachers study the content of the textbook in depth, summarize the methods of analysis and design of electrical control circuit systematically, and mainly teach the methods in class, so that students can firmly grasp the methods and achieve twice the result with half the effort.For example, in the teaching process of “Analysis of Basic Electrical Control Circuits” in the textbook, the teaching method we summarized is that the analysis of basic electrical control circuits should adopt the main circuit to “record” and the control circuit to “push”.
Because the basic electric control circuit is always composed of main circuit and control circuit, such as forward and backward control circuit, Y-step-down starting control circuit of three-phase cage asynchronous motor, energy consumption braking control circuit of three-phase cage asynchronous motor, etc.There are not many main circuits in the basic control circuit.
Every student must remember the common points and differences of different main circuits so as to judge the function of the control circuit as soon as he sees the main circuit of the control circuit.There are many control loops, so the control loops should be pushed rather than remembered.The deduction method is to find out the button of the control loop first, and then analyze it with a very mature workflow chart. When the button is pressed, the action result of the main loop is OK.This method is easy for students to master and greatly improves their learning enthusiasm.For example, in the course of PLC teaching, the teachers of this subject group not only focus on teaching the PLC of Mitsubishi Company which is matched with the laboratory, but also grasp the commonness of Mitsubishi Company’s PLC and other companies’PLC, so as to expand students’ knowledge, so that students not only grasp the application technology of Mitsubishi Company’s PLC, but also grasp Siemens, Omron and so on, which are widely used in China. The application technology of PLC in other companies is welcomed by students.”Emphasis on application” means that teachers combine boring theoretical knowledge with vivid practical engineering, and reflect the actual situation vividly and accurately. It is an important method to improve the teaching effect.In the teaching of programmable logic controller, case teaching method should be adopted as much as possible.Case teaching method can well create a simulation platform, so that students can get close to real training in actual cases, which is undoubtedly a good teaching method.In case selection, we should try our best to combine knowledge with practicality and reality, so that students can get practical training similar to real practice under virtual practice conditions, and master knowledge, application theory and cultivate ability from it.Advanced teaching tools are used to improve the quality of teaching.”Electrical control part” has many charts and big charts. Mitsubishi FX series products have abundant command system, powerful communication network functions, and flexible programming and debugging environment for easy operation and debugging.It is very difficult for teachers to use “a chalk, a blackboard” teaching method in class to show students the powerful functions of Mitsubishi FX series products; it is impossible to complete such a rich teaching content in limited teaching time.Therefore, using multimedia teaching method to teach the course Electrical Control and Programmable Controller, the teaching content can reach more than twice the content of the traditional teaching method in the same time, so that the teaching quality and efficiency have been significantly improved: the intensity of teaching labor and the rate of teaching errors have been reduced, so that teachers can fully experience the advantages of multimedia teaching method.Students in the classroom are also attracted by the vivid display of multimedia, and receive good teaching results.Multimedia teaching method can make students understand and master the knowledge points which were previously considered difficult to understand and master in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.Teaching practice shows that there are also some problems in multimedia teaching, such as short retention time of knowledge points, students can not remember these knowledge points, note-taking and so on.The best way is the combination of blackboard writing and multimedia. Multimedia projection can be used for some graphics, tables and materials that are difficult to write. Some important formulas, theorems and derivation process are still better written by blackboard.The purpose of teaching is not only to impart knowledge, but also to improve students’quality and comprehensive ability.Grasping the practice link is an important way to improve students’quality and comprehensive ability.In the process of teaching practice, we have made the following attempts.Comprehensive design of experimental development, supporting experimental guidance update.Electrical Control and Programmable Controller course, according to the different teaching hours of different majors, there are 8 to 12 hours of experimental courses.In the past experiment lessons, the experiment instruction book was written according to the equipment instruction of the manufacturer. The circuit and software are very detailed. As long as the students connect the circuit and input software according to the steps in the instruction book, the experiment can be completed.All of them are confirmatory experiments. The students’enthusiasm for doing experiments is not high, and the effect of experiments is not good.Half of the basic validation experiments are reserved. The other half of the experiments are set up as comprehensive design experiments, and the corresponding experimental instructions are updated. The comprehensive design experiments in the experimental instructions only contain the experimental purposes, the data of experimental equipment and experimental devices, and the experimental requirements. No specific experimental circuits and software are provided.We publish the experiment topic to the students one week ahead of schedule, let the students group according to the knowledge they have learned, collect and sort out the relevant information, and design the circuit and software they need for the experiment.The software allows students to choose any kind of programming in ladder diagram, step instructions or instruction list program, and the experimental operation can be carried out after the teacher’s approval.The opening of comprehensive design experiment greatly improves the enthusiasm of students to do experiments and exercises their practical ability.Course design courses are offered.The course of Electrical Control and Programmable Controller is a professional course with strong practicality. The opening of experimental course is very helpful to the cultivation of students’practical ability, but the experimental course is limited in time. The experimental course is often the verification and design of local circuits, which can not enable students to fully understand and master the whole process of electrical product design.To this end, we have arranged two weeks of “Electrical Control Integrated Course Design” course in the teaching plan of automation, electrical automation and other specialties.Comprehensive curriculum design requires students to independently complete the design of an electrical control system under the guidance of teachers.Students need to master the complete design process of the electrical control system; be familiar with the relevant design specifications, and express their design intentions with drawings and written data; in the design process, they need to consult a large number of relevant data and design rules and regulations, learn to collect design data methods and ways; improve the ability to compile engineering design drawings; and complete design reports according to the requirements of the task book.The curriculum design of a major is generally guided by two teachers.
Teachers divide the students of a major into two groups, and then divide them into several groups according to 4-5 persons. Teachers formulate different design topics, design tasks and requirements for each group.Under the guidance of teachers, the design of integrated electric control course is completed independently by students in groups. The contents and requirements of each group of students are as follows.Design task book is compiled according to technological requirements.Control system scheme design: according to the electrical control requirements, draw up the design technical requirements; analyze and select the scheme, require at least two or more schemes for comparative analysis; draw the block diagram of the electrical control system according to the selected control scheme.According to the selected electrical control system scheme, electrical control circuit design: unit circuit design; complete electrical control system design; complete the selection of components.According to the existing experimental equipment, the design and simulation debugging of the analog electrical control system are completed.Complete the writing of course design report.To complete the course design, we should not only grasp the basic knowledge of control theory, electrical control and programmable controller, motor and drive, but also know the practical engineering knowledge of this major, such as the procedure and method of Engineering design, the method and steps of selecting electrical components, etc.Taking advantage of the opportunity of curriculum design, the students are trained in comprehensive skills to familiarize themselves with the whole process of electrical product design, so that they can get in touch with the latest technology of industrial automation during school and make the training of practical links closer to the engineering practice, which enhances the students’interest in learning and improves the teaching quality of practical links.Open the second class – advanced technology of electrical control and programmable controller.We have a second class for students.We set up five modules: frequency converter application, PLC analog module and its application, PLC communication, human-machine interface (touch screen) technology and PLC simulation software. Each module sets corresponding credits and incorporates them into the school’s teaching plan.
The laboratory is open to students all day. The college arranges special instructors to guide them. The college regularly examines the students of the selection module and evaluates their qualifications. Give the corresponding results.The opening of the second classroom has further improved the students’practical ability.Students with better advanced technology show strong competitiveness in the double-election meeting of graduates, and show the advantages of quick start and strong stamina after taking part in the work. They are generally praised by employers.With the rapid development of multimedia technology and Internet technology, great changes have taken place in learning modes and methods. Course networking has become an important part of the diversification of educational methods.As a supplement and extension of classroom teaching, web-based course assisted instruction has played an increasingly important role in curriculum learning.In 1998, the Sky Classroom Network Platform provided by the school, Electrical Control and Programmable Controller, has completed the first phase of the network course construction. The related professional syllabus, network courseware, PPT courseware, exercises and other contents can be used by students in the network classroom.
It can realize the functions provided by network platforms such as online assignment, online correction and online question answering.At present, the software of our school’s network platform is being updated. In view of the problems existing in the first online course, such as single content, too few corresponding content of different specialties, insufficient use of auxiliary teaching methods such as homework assignment and online question answering, we organize the teachers of the subject group to use the network courseware, PPT courseware, exercises and enterprises according to the revised latest syllabus. The contents of resources and simulation software of programmable logic controller have been updated, network videos have been added, and excellent resource sharing courses at school level have been constructed actively, which provides a good platform for students to learn online after class.Through teaching practice in recent years, we have deeply realized that students are the main body of teaching activities in the process of teaching. In addition to mobilizing students’enthusiasm and improving classroom teaching effect from the aspect of teaching, teachers should also cooperate with modern teaching methods and counseling means to solve the practical problems of high efficiency of modern teaching methods and students’ difficulty in taking notes. Students should also learn from the aspect of learning. Get rid of the influence of traditional teaching methods on them, and find out a set of learning methods adapted to modern teaching methods, in order to further improve the quality of teaching.Our school has automation and other professional courses such as Electrical Control and PLC, Programmable Logic Controller, Mechanical Electrical Control and Automation. Other colleges and universities have similar situation.Before 2005, when choosing textbooks, we found that there were few textbooks that could meet the requirements.For this reason, the teachers of our research group have been collecting data since 2005, summarizing years of teaching experience and compiling textbooks.The guiding ideology of textbook compilation is to combine theory with practice, highlight the training and cultivation of students’engineering application ability, and facilitate the organization of teaching and practice.In content arrangement, special attention should be paid to the interconnection and independence of each article, so as to facilitate the selection of colleges and universities offering two courses of “Electrical Control Technology” and “Programmable Logic Controller”.When compiling textbooks, special attention should be paid to the use of text symbols and graphic symbols in line with the latest national electrical drawing standards.The first edition of the textbook Electrical Control and Programmable Controller was officially published by Chemical Industry Publishing House in September 2007.At present, automation and other specialties in our university have been used for many years; at the same time, it has been selected by dozens of colleges such as Southeast University, Shaanxi University of Agriculture and Forestry Science and Technology, Shaoguan College and so on.The textbook construction of Electrical Control and Programmable Controller not only meets the needs of teaching, but also helps to improve the teaching quality of this course.In January 2009, he won the second prize for excellent textbooks of China’s petroleum and chemical industry, and in March 2012, he was selected as the “12th Five-Year Plan” textbook of Sichuan Province.In August 2014, the second edition of the textbook Electrical Control and Programmable Controller was also officially published by Chemical Industry Publishing House.Rich classroom teaching and practical teaching experience are the quality assurance of teaching material construction, which meets the needs of teaching, and at the same time improves the teaching level of teachers.Through the practice of teaching reform in recent years, the quality of teaching of this course is good, and it has won the unanimous praise of the students. It has also formed a stable and high-level teaching team of up to seven people. Teachers who teach this course have also made certain achievements in teaching. Teachers of this subject group have won many awards for excellent classroom teaching in schools.Focusing on the cultivation of talents’quality and ability is an important topic discussed in the teaching reform.With the deepening of teaching reform, the awareness of teachers and students will gradually improve.
We also want to use the East Wind of our school’s teaching reform to improve our ideological understanding, actively build the provincial-level high-quality course of Electrical Control and PLC, and push the teaching of this course to a new height.We should further do a solid job in specific teaching work, and make greater efforts to explore new methods and new ways that are conducive to the cultivation of students’quality and ability in the process of teaching work.