  In this article, we discuss a novel education approach to control theory in
undergraduate engineering programs. In particular, we elaborate on the
inclusion of an introductory course on process control during the first years
of the program, to appear right after the students undergo basic calculus and
physics courses. Our novel teaching proposal comprises debating the basic
elements of control theory without requiring any background on advanced
mathematical frameworks from the part of the students. The methodology
addresses, conceptually, the majority of the steps required for the analysis
and design of simple control systems. Herein, we thoroughly detail this
educational guideline, as well as tools that can be used in the classroom.
Furthermore, we propose a cheap test-bench kit and an open-source numerical
simulator that can be used to carry out experiments during the proposed course.
Most importantly, we also assess on how the Introduction to process control
course has affected the undergraduate program on Control and Automation
Engineering at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC, Brazil).
Specifically, we debate the outcomes of implementing our education approach at
UFSC from 2016 to 2023, considering students' rates of success in other control
courses and perspectives on how the chair helped them throughout the course of
their program. Based on randomised interviews, we indicate that our educational
approach has had good teaching-learning results: students tend to be more
motivated for other control-related subjects, while exhibiting higher rates of
success.
