A new methodology for teaching the performance characteristics of measurement systems

The traditional approach to teaching the performance characteristics of measurement systems does not differentiate between manufacturer performance characteristics (in-factory calibration, development of data sheets) and end-user characteristics (interpretation of data sheets, performance estimation and in-situ calibration). This paper presents a novel approach to including teaching the performance characteristics of measurement systems from both points of view. We accomplish this by introducing an active-learning approach in which the students first play the role of manufacturers and later the role of end-users, thus being exposed to the different metrics used in each part of the whole design process.