Summary~The late Storm P., a popular Danish humorist once stated that it is difficult to predict--in particular about the future. Nevertheless the important aspect in the teaching of automatic control at our university is constantly W revise our educational schemes in harmony with our visualizations of future demands. Control _nec~___sitates planning; and planning is ~ upon foresight. Hence, educators must present and debate their opinions on trends, tendencies, and possibilities in automatic control education. Clearly, the purpose of such a discussion is not to impre~ certain ideas, but rather to bring into focus a diversity of viewpoints which may stimulate the single teacher in the planning of his co~.
This paper aims to contribute to this discussion some ideas and experiences which the author believes may be of interest also to other educators. It is centered around the two clasaical main-headings: "What W U~w.h", and "How to teach it". In the case of the first question, the impact of the systems approach upon our theoretical knowledge and its presentation is examined with respect to such points as basic assumptions and generalized concepts, the importance of notation, and macxoprogranaming and intentional interdisciplinary study. In the case of the last question, teaching tools like programmed learning and organization of design courses in terms of computational and experimental laboratory projects, are considered.