Course Exit Report ABET Outcome Achievement

Course Code
Course Prerequisites
Course Delivery
Method

Mandatory for communications, Computer and electronics engineering

students.

Course Type

Course
Description
Catalog Description

Class
Description

Course
Assestment
Tools

Student
Performance
Distribution

23451 - 3.0 credit hours

23353 3.0 credit hours, analog communications
20334 3.0 credit hours, applied probability
In-class Lectures

Target ABET
Outcome
Number of Students
Stduents Level
Date class offered
Instructor

Special Problem
Final Exam (PI.a1)
Achieved
Normalized Scores (5)
Special Problem
Homework (PI.a1)
Final Exam (PI.a1)

Baseband digital modulation techniques: PCM, DM, D-, and DPCM. Line
coding. Intersymbol interference: M-ary signaling, bandwidth, data rate.
Multiplexing: FDM, TDM, CDM. Passband digital modulation and
demodulation techniques: ASK, FSK, PSK, DPSK, M-ary, coherent and
non-coherent detection. Bit error rate performance. Introduction to channel
coding.
Outcome ( a )
' bility to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering '
39 Students
4th and 5th Year Students
First Semester 2014- 2015
Dr. Omar Bani Ahmad
ABET
Achieved
Normalized
Exam Points
Problems
Average
Score
Scores
Score
(out of 5)
5 points
5 points
3.39
3.39
40 points

6 points

5.16

4.3

0-1
Out of 5
Poor

1-2
Out of 5
Fair

2-3
Out of 5
Good

3-4
Out of 5
V.Good

4-5
Out of 5
Excellent

0
students
0
students

2
students
0
students

2
students
3
students

23
students
4
students

12
students
32
students

35.00
Students
Performance
Distribution vs.
Assessment
Tool for
outcome e

30.00

Poor

25.00
20.00

Fair

15.00

Good

10.00

Very Good

5.00

Excellent

0.00
Special Problem (PI.e1)

Final Exam (PI.e2)

Figure 1: Students Performance Distribution vs. Assessment Tool for outcome a

Indirect
Course
Assessment

Indirect assessment of outcome a was evaluated by all students at the end of the course. This was done
by asking the students to fill a CAS (Course Assessment by Students) questionnaire which measures
bility to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering). The students were asked to

(Students
Survey)

express their level of achievement using a 1 to 5 scale, where 1 corresponds to poor achievement, and
5 to strong achievement. An average of 3.31 out of 5 was obtained.

Analysis and
Findings

The digital communications course introduces students to understand the basics of digital
communications and the different methods for signal transmission: baseband and Band Pass. In addition,
the students were introduced on how to utilize the fundamentals of probability theory to evaluate the
expected error rate of a digital signal. The last part of the course, the students were in introduced to the
channel coding principles and they were able to use it to verify the detection advantages of using such
a concept.
There are two performance indicator PIs and they were mapped as follows:
Performance Indicator 1.a
Performance Indicator 2.a

Special Problem
Final Exam

In the special problem (PI.a1), the students were asked to evaluate the bit error rate for baseband signal
using two levels transmitted over a random noisy channel. The channel noise is assumed to be Gaussian,
Zero-mean with variance /2 watts/herts. In this problem, for the students to be able to evaluate the
error rate, they had to find the probability density function of the received signal and then apply against
the principle of threshld detection to determine received symbols. The students were asked to evaluate
the probability of error for different values of the noise variance; 1 and 2. The purpose of this part was
to show how does the noise variance affects the error performance. Finally, the students were asked to
comment on the effect of the noise variance on the system performance.
In the final exam (PI.a1), this problem addresses two issues; the first issue is how to calculate the power
of an 8-psk signal from the transmitted signal. The second part of this question, is to detect the received
noisy signal. The noisy signal components were given in the polar format and students has to apply two
level of detection here: the first is to determine which of the 8 signal components were transmitted,
which is done by comparing the signal noisy components against the pre-calculated threshold levels,
after doing so, the students has to extract the binary bit out of these detected symbols.
The scores of the students were analyzed as following (normalized to 5):
Beginning (Poor-Fair)
Developing (Good)
Accomplished(V. Good)
Exemplary(Excellent)

(0-2) points
(2-3) points
(3-4) points
(4-5) points

As shown in Figure 1 :
PI.a1 (special problem): 85% of students are at very good to excellent
PI.a2 (Final): 92% of students are at very good to excellent
From PI.a1 and PI.a2, the students performance was good. In the special problem, 57% of students
performed very good, while about 28% performed excellent. In the final exam, about 92% of the
students performance ranges from very good to excellent. This is really a good indicator of the students
competency in this subject.

Changes
Called for
Next Time the
Course is
Taught

In this senetser about 6 home work assignment were given ranges from problem solving to MATLAB
excersizes. This was an improvement which was suggested last semetser to improve the class
performance. However, for next semetser I would to get stduents more involve in problem solving
parallel with MATLAB assignments to visualize their work.

Student Outcome (a): ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering

A performance indicator is said to have been achieved if 65% of students are at the developing or
above levels. This percentange is chosen because the course is considered fundamental to
understanding the fundementals of digital communications and the application of probability theory
in the detection of digital data.
As Figure 1 and Figure 2 show, the set performance indicator is met both for special problem and
final exam.

PI No

Performance
Indicators

Beginning
(0-2) points

Developing
(2-3) points

Accomplished
(3-4) points

PI a.1

PI a.2

Apply the
principle of
probability theory
to calculate the
error performance
for a digital signal
transmitted over
Gaussian noisy
channel.

Finding and plotting the

threshold voltages and
regions needed for
setecting the binary
signal. Partial credits
were given if theshold
voltages were found
correctly but there were
mistakes in the detetion
regions.

A mistake is made
in writing the
expressions for the
conditional bit error
and the total
probability of eror

A mistake is made
on plotting the
error curves and
un adequate
comments.

An adequate
comments and poor
error curves

Evaluating the
power of an M-ary
signal, and
application of
threhold detection
in obtaining the
binary data from
noisy received Mary symbols

Find the power signal

correctly. Mistakes
allowed such as units,
mixing jouls with
power.

A partial mistakes
were made in
transforming the
complex and polar
signal components
into its correct
signal space.

A partial mistake
was made in
labeling the
received symbols
in the right
threshold region

Finding the signal

power and the right
detected binary data,
where the analysis
provided for that
purpose was clear and
correct. Partial
mistake was allowed
such as not finding
the whole detecte
data.

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Exemplary
(4-5) points

Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor

Special Problem - HW (PI.a1)

Final Exam (Pe.2)

Figure 2: Percentage of Students Performance Distribution vs. Performance Indicators

Levels