Syllabus

Course Goals

In this course, you will explore the functionality of some example systems from the electrical and computer engineering domain. In the process, you will learn some basic scientific and technological principles that are at the core of these systems. After completing this course, you will be able to identify ECE systems and understand some of their basic operation. The material learned in this course will serve you as a basis for more advanced courses in the ECE curriculum.

Course Components

There are three components to this course:

• Lectures
• Assignments
• Lab

Lectures

Lectures are held once a week by the instructor. In lectures, the main course material will be conveyed. Students are expected to attend and actively participate in lectures. Lecture attendance is one component of the course grade. Lectures are designed to provide ample opportunity for questions and discussions. For additional help, the instructor is available via email, at office hours, and by appointment.

Assignments

Weekly assignments are posted on Moodle (https://moodle.umass.edu/) in the form of quizzes. These quizzes are only accessible during pre-defined time periods. Most quizzes contain one open-ended question that requires additional research. Quizzes are scored using a binary scale (1=satisfactory answer; 0=unsatisfactory or no answer). Quiz scores are one component of the course grade.

Lab

The lab assignment is used to complement some of the material discussed in lecture. The Lab is designed to be completed independently by students in the Marcus 5 (M5) lab. The completion of the lab is required for this course, but the lab does not factor into the course grade.

Grading

The final grade is derived from two components:

• Attendance: The attendance score is the number of attended lectures.
• Moodle quizzes: The quiz score is the number of satisfactorily answered quizzes.

The final grade is obtained by adding the attendance score and the quiz score and determining the matching grade in the following table (updated due to snow day class cancellation):

Completion of the lab is required. A student who does not complete the lab by the end of the semester receives an Incomplete (INC) grade until the lab is completed. (Exception: If the final grade is F, no INC will be given even if the lab is missing.)

Attendance record, lab completion, and quiz scores are posted on Moodle. Students are encouraged to track their scores to ensure correct grading.

Course Policies

The following course policies apply (in addition to all university, college, and department regulations):

• Late / Make-Up Policy: Assignments are due as posted on Moodle. Late submissions will not be accepted except in medical emergencies or other extenuating circumstances. In such cases, late submission can be requested by contacting the instructor. Proof may be requested (e.g., note from a medical professional).
• Academic Integrity: Consultation with fellow students is encouraged. However, directly copying another student's work (past or present) defeats the purpose of the assignments and is a violation of the code of conduct. Unless otherwise noted, students are expected to complete all assignment individually. Violations will result in serious penalties including course failure and possible disciplinary action. If in doubt, please consult the instructor or the official UMass guidelines regarding academic honesty (http://www.umass.edu/ombuds/honesty.php/).