George Mason University
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
ECE 320: SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS II
Information Sheet
Spring 2002
Brief Description
ECE 320 covers the core concepts in signals and systems, focusing
primarily on time- and frequency-domain analysis techniques for
linear, time-invariant systems.
This course reinforces and expands upon the continuous-time
concepts presented in ECE 220, and introduces the corresponding
concepts for discrete-time systems.
ECE 320 also presents the sampling theorem and explores the
relationships between continuous-time signals and their sampled
counterparts.
The workload for this course consists of the following:
two class meetings per week, regular homework assignments (see
syllabus), four computer-based projects, two in-class examinations,
and a comprehensive final examination.
Class time is divided between short lecture segments on key concepts
and in-class group exercises. Students are expected to do the
assigned reading prior to coming to class so that they are adequately
prepared to participate in the interactive problem-solving sessions.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite for this course is ECE 220 or equivalent.
Additionally, since you have used Matlab in ECE 201 and ECE
220, you should be familiar with the basics of plotting and
programming with this software. If your Matlab background is lacking,
you will need to work through the online tutorials provided by the
Mathworks.
Most importantly, I will assume that you have an interest in and a
commitment to developing a deep understanding of signals and systems
concepts. The material that we will study in this course provides important
foundations for all senior level courses in communication, signal
processing and control. A lack of effort in ECE 320 will almost
certainly result in a grueling senior experience.
Class Meetings
Class will meet Mondays and Wednesdays in Robinson A247 from 1:30pm to
2:45pm. It is assumed that you will attend all of the classes, though
attendance will not be formally recorded. If missing a class is
absolutely unavoidable, you should inform me in advance (if possible)
and make arrangements to pick up handouts at another time.
You are required to do the reading assigned on the syllabus
before you arrive at each class. As you progress in your career as
an engineer, it is essential that you acquire the skill of reading a
book to learn necessary information about a technical problem. In your
professional life, you will have to solve many problems that were not
taught in classes here, and engineering textbooks or journals will be
your only resource. This course will provide an opportunity for you to
develop your technical reading skills. Each
class will begin with a five-minute Readiness Assessment Test (RAT) to
provide additional motivation for you to do the assigned reading.
Your grade on these RATs will be 10% of your final grade for the
class.
Class meetings will combine short lectures on key points in the
material with collaborative problem solving sessions. I feel that the
time spent on the problems is much more educational than watching me
lecture for the entire period. The work you do in these group
sessions will be evaluated in several ways, and be included in your
RAT grade for the course. The shortened lecture puts a
responsibility on you to be prepared for class by completing the
reading the night before. In my experience, students who come
prepared to this type of class find that they understand more about the
material and homework problems than if they had attended a traditional
lecture. Contrastingly, students who are not prepared are more lost
and confused than they are in traditional classes. Homeworks and
exams may include topics that are in the reading but not covered in
lecture, so again, it is important to keep up with the reading to do
well in the course.
Homework
There will be regular homework assignments (problem sets). These will
be distributed via the course website
(http://ece.gmu.edu/~kwage/ece320).
You are expected to do ALL the assigned problems. All problems on all
assignments will be graded.
In making up the exams and in assigning a final grade, I will
assume that you have worked ALL the problems. Most exams will
include one problem very similar to one of the homework problems.
Thus, there will be a very immediate benefit to doing the homework
completely and diligently.
Each homework will also include the reading to prepare for the
following week's classes. Again, you are required to do this reading
before the class meets.
Homeworks must be handed in by the end of the class in which they
are due. Solutions will be available at the end of the lecture on the day on
which they are due. Consequently, it is difficult and unfair to
evaluate late problem sets seriously.
Matlab Projects
There will be 4 projects (I-IV) to be done in MATLAB. You
are expected to do ALL the projects, and they will be thoroughly
evaluated.
A considerable effort has gone into designing projects that are
interesting, educational, error-free, and an efficient use of your
time.
Like problem sets, projects must be handed in by the end of the class
in which they are due, and solutions will be available at the end of
the class. The remarks above regarding late problem sets apply to the
projects as well.
Exams
There will be two in-class exams during the semester and one final
exam during exam week. The exam dates are listed below.
| Exam 1: |
Wednesday, February 27 |
1:30-2:45pm |
| Exam 2: |
Wednesday, April 3 |
1:30-2:45pm |
| Final Exam: |
Wednesday, May 8 |
1:30-4:15pm |
These exams will be given in the usual classroom at the times given.
As noted
above, it is likely that most of the exams will include a problem
which is very similar to one of the problem set problems. All of the
exams are closed book.
In grading the exams, I will seek to evaluate your
understanding of the concepts involved in the problem, not merely your
facility at producing the correct answer. It is possible to obtain
the correct answer accidently through a chain of errors that reveal a
poor understanding of the material. Similarly, an algebraic error in
the last step of a problem may cause you to report an incorrect answer
from an otherwise flawless train of logic. The grade I assign
reflects my best judgment of your understanding of the concepts as
evidenced by what you have written.
Course Grade
The final grade in the course is based on my best assessment of your
understanding of the material and participation during the semester.
The exams, problem sets, and project are combined with the following
rough weighting to give a preliminary final grade:
| Exam 1 |
17.5 % |
| Exam 2 |
17.5 % |
| Final Exam |
25 % |
| Matlab Projects |
20 % |
| Homework |
10 % |
| RATs & Class Problems |
10 % |
A student requesting a grade change for any assignment
must provide the instructor with the following
within 2 class periods after the work is returned: the
assignment and a paragraph describing why you feel you should receive
additional points for the work. Note that in some cases, it is
possible that what you wrote for the assignment indicated a better
understanding of the problem than you actually possess. If the
paragraph you submit indicates that you don't understand the problem
as well as the grader thought you did, then your score may be
reduced.
Academic Integrity
All students are expected to abide by the George Mason University
Honor Code and the rules outlined below. Any reasonable suspicion of
an honor code violation will
be reported.
One important goal of this class is to help you learn to work
collaboratively in a group. You will be working as a group during all
the in-class interactive problem-solving sessions.
You are also encouraged to collaborate on the homework assignments.
Talking to other students, explaining your ideas and questioning their
ideas, is a great way to learn. However, you must write up your own
solution for the homework problems. In doing this, you MUST
identify at the top of the assignment any students you collaborated
with to complete the assignment. In signing your own name to the
assignment, you are certifying that the work reflects your own
understanding of the problems. Simply copying someone else's answer
is not working collaboratively, and is not permitted.
The same rules that apply to homeworks also apply to the Matlab
projects. Sharing of ideas on the projects is permitted, but copying
code is explicitly forbidden. You must write your own Matlab
functions and produce your own plots.
The examinations are strictly your own effort, and I will be
sensitive to consistency between the homework performance and the exam
performance on those exam problems closely related to the problem
sets.
Page last updated 21 January 2002
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