SEJ302 - Control Systems Engineering
Unit details
| Year | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 2 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.250 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Rob McHenry |
| Prerequisite: | SEJ010 and one of SEE217, SEE222 or SEM200. |
| Corequisite: | STP010 |
| Incompatible with: | SEM301, SEE344, and SEE407 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 2 x 1 hour seminar per week, 1 x 2 hour Practical experience (studio) per week, 1 x 2 hour practical experience (laboratory) per week in weeks 2-5, and 7-10. |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 2 x 1 hour online seminar per week; 2 x 1 hour online Practical experience (studio) per week and 1 x 2 day intensive lab activity in week 6. |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 300 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. |
Content
This project-oriented design-based learning (PODBL) unit has been developed with significant industry input. The learning and assessment activities in the unit require students to explore and apply control systems theory on physical systems to develop practical skills and deeper theoretical knowledge, while also working as part of a team to deliver a well justified and validated control systems design project for a customer.
Students will actively participate in labs throughout the trimester that require them to work with electromechanical and fluid control systems. In these labs students will explore, apply, and communicate control systems concepts and skills such as theoretical and mathematical system modelling, Laplace system modelling, system linearisation, PID control design and parameter tuning, stability analysis, and practical applications of instrumentation, monitoring, and data acquisition devices.
Project and individual work will require students to design and evaluate controllers for a variety of interfacing systems to solve a real-world problem using mathematical and simulation tools. This will allow students to explore and design control system solutions for various dynamic systems by applying fundamentals of control systems theory, such as transfer function derivation, transient system response, steady state error, stability, and root locus methods for system modification and analysis, PID controller design, and control system evaluation using simulation tools such as MATLAB/SIMULINK. Students will work in small teams to plan, manage, and report project deliverables to meet customer expectations related to cost, functionality, hardware selection, resourcing, and timing.
Learning outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Apply control systems theory on physical systems to communicate and demonstrate practical and problem-solving skills individually and in collaboration with others. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Apply the fundamentals of mathematical modelling, characterisation, and evaluation of control systems using simulation tools to design and evaluate controllers for a variety of dynamic systems. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO3 | Work as part of a team to deliver a well justified and validated control systems design project that meets customer expectations related to cost, functionality, hardware selection, resourcing, and timing. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO4 | Manage personal work and deliverables by planning, performing, and reflecting upon personal contributions to team outcomes including professional judgement and ethical decision making. | GLO6: Self-management GLO8: Global citizenship Self-management |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1 | Regular submission of solutions to given analytical problems | 10% | Weeks 3, 5 and 8 |
| Assessment 2 | Team and individual portfolios | 50% (25%, 25%) (Group, individual) | Weeks 4, 9 and 12 |
| Assessment 3 Control systems laboratory portfolio | Individual portfolio | 40% | Weeks 7 and 12 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Hurdle requirement
To be eligible to obtain a pass in this unit, students must achieve an overall mark of at least 50% in the individual portion of project portfolio AT2 Team control systems design project portfolio as well as AT3 Control systems laboratory portfolio.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for SEJ302 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.
To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.
Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.