A control system framework for reflective practice: Design-based research applied to process control teaching

Reflective practice in teaching is an important requirement for continuous improvement in professional education. In this work, we report on an approach to reflective practice which leverages the technical domain knowledge of the teacher — specifically that of engineering control systems. The structure, elements and properties of a typical control system are appropriated as a model (Control Systems Framework) for the teaching and learning of control systems in a Chemical Engineering qualification in South Africa. By considering the analogies of the various control system elements (and where these analogies break down) in the teaching and learning environment, reflection on teaching activities, as well as potential intervention design, is achieved. The CSF model is demonstrated in a particular case study, and the approach is shown to fit within the broader frame of design-based research methods. The desirable properties of successful design-based research are determined from literature, and reflected on for this work.