Subject Design
This subject was developed and delivered in Autumn and Spring of 2005. This was the culmination of 16 months of discussion and preparatory work.This page contains information on the design of the subject, it's goals, and how it has been refined. The material is intended mostly for instructors seeking a little more information on the reasoning and process that has made the subject what it is.Structure
The subject is designed for a semester with thirteen teaching weeks, and with only three hours of contact time per week. It is divided into five delivery modules in this subject, each of which is delivered over two weeks. The modules are based on the textbook by Lee and Varaiya, and in general cover one or two chapters. To avoid confusion with chapter numbers,
delivery modules are numbered alphabetically.
Each module consists two one-hour lectures, exercises for tutorials and self-work, and hands-on laboratory exercises. In the early part of the semester, we alternate between a tutorial and a lab session; in the later part of the semester, all sessions are done in the lab, as students are by then working hard on their final project.
History
Work on this subject began as an impetus to revise and refresh the strand of signals and system subjects in the Telecommunications Engineering program. The Telecommunications Engineering program agreed to the proposed revision,. In 2004, a working group comprised of John Reekie, Tim Aubrey, Keiko Yasukawa, Martin Evans, and Anthony Kadi discussed and debated the approach to the revised subjects. A new version of the first subject subsequently ran in Autumn 2005.
This is the document containing the original proposal for revision:
This document contains my arguments for adopting the Structure and Interpretation of Signals and Systems as the text, along with much of the course material associated with that text:
This document contains the results of the deliberations made during 2004:
Unfortunately, we were never able to "close the loop" and evaluate the new subject against our initial objectives.Evolution
Autumn 2005
The first delivery was difficult. We had to do most of the actual subject development "on the fly" while delivering it. Despite the difficulties, most of those involved with the subject felt that it was a good start. The following document contains the reflections of those involved and student feedback received. Spring 2005
The second delivery was much more enjoyable. We learnt a lot the first time around, and had time to make some significant changes to the subject. We wrestled with an on-going problem in this major with students who simplky don't show at class. The students who actually participated seemed to enjoy it, as did the two academics teaching it. The following document contains the reflections of those involved and student feedback received.
- Spring 2005 reflections (in preparation)
The subject is not being delivered in 2006. It is under consideration as the basis for an introductory signals and systems subject for a new major in Information and Communications Technology (a degree program that replaces the existing Software Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, and Computer Systems Engineering majors), to commence in 2007.