Unified and Flexible Online Experimental Framework for Control Engineering Education

This article introduces a unified and flexible experimental framework for massive online experimentation of control education. The new architecture adopts a front-end and back-end separation scheme based on React at frontend and Nginx at backend, and a single page application has been achieved to improve user experience. Multiple features and supporting technologies which provide a flexible, interactive, and real-time platform with enhanced sense of presence and user experience are discussed. The design and implementation of the proposed system are depicted in detail. With the implementation of online algorithm design, the unified framework enables all the functionalities such as web-based algorithm design, parameter tuning, visual configuration of customized user interface, and real-time control with remote and virtual laboratories, which cover the entire process in control education experimentation. A case study with students from two universities shows that the implemented online laboratory framework can support massive students with minimum maintenance required.