Specific Outcomes of Instruction:
Upon completion of ECE 1050, students will be able to:

• Write simple program scripts and functions in MATLAB.
• Use MATLAB for applications in electrical & computer engineering.
• Use LTspice to simulate a circuit.
• Collect data and analyze basic electronic sensors and circuits.
• Create and simulate a circuit in LTspice

Relationship of the Course to the ABET Student Outcomes:
Upon completion of ECE 1050, students will be able to:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics. The final project in this course directly addresses this outcome, as students choose a simple project to build to solve a practical problem.  The students simulate the circuit design to verify that it works.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors. When students choose and design their final projects, the instructor interacts with them to ensure that the project is safe and affordable.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. For the final project, students write an email proposal and submit a critical design review describing simulation results.  This gives students practice with technical writing.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts. Students receive feedback on proposed project ideas to ensure they are safe and ethical.  Most projects, however, solve a problem that is local in scope.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.  Students work individually in this course rather than on teams.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions. Work in this course addresses this outcome in an introductory way by asking students to make simple observations and answer straightforward questions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies. Although not specifically required, students often find sensors or other circuit ideas on their own to use for final projects.

Topics Covered in the Course:

• MATLAB environment
• MATLAB variables
• MATLAB built-in functions
• MATLAB logic operations
• MATLAB user-defined functions
• MATLAB loops
• LTspice circuit simulations

UCard Access to Labs:

• Labs have doors that open with your UCard.  Submit this ECE Card Access Request form to gain access to your laboratory classroom.
• email completed form to: mel.parkes@utah.edu

Computer:

• Because labs will be remote on Zoom at least part of the time, you will need a computer or tablet for this course.  You will also need a microphone, and it is required that you have a webcam when talking to your TA.  If you do not have a webcam, be prepared to use Zoom on your phone or screenshare your code.

Student Version of MATLAB (software):  (free from U of U Software Licensing Office)  see MATLAB 

• MATLAB is a simple programming interface that engineers use for quick, effective simulation, computation, and graphing.  We will use it throughout the course (which is meant to be your first introduction to this powerful tool), and in several other classes throughout your degree.  The link above also has tutorials and support to get you started.  If you are on a tight budget, you may connect to the U of U machines, such as CADE Lab, to use MATLAB for free.

Circuit Simulation Software: LTspice available free online for Windows or Mac

•  LTspice is made available for free by Analog Devices.  On their website, Analog Devices describes LTspice as follows:

LTspice^® is a high performance SPICE simulation software, schematic capture and waveform viewer with enhancements and models for easing the simulation of analog circuits. Included in the download of LTspice are macromodels for a majority of Analog Devices switching regulators, amplifiers, as well as a library of devices for general circuit simulation."

Word Processing Software: 

• You will need access to word processing software for writing lab reports, particularly at the end of the semester.  Submissions will be as pdf files.

• Microsoft Office (Word) is available to UofU students free from the Office of Software Licensing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..  Check out other free and discounted software for students.

Ensure you have these ahead of time as they will be required to complete assignments and activities throughout the course.

Please review the communication methods and requirements for this course:

Preferred Contact Methods

The easiest way to contact your instructor is through email of office hours listed at the top of this page.

Office Hours

The TA will have separate office hours.  The instructor will hold office hours according to the schedule at the top of this page. or By appointment.

Virtual Meeting Rooms(s)

There will be roughly one lab exercise per week.  The labs are as follows (for due dates, see complete schedule on Home pages):

Lab M0: Test MATLAB and LTspice

Lab M1: Matlab Basics

Lab M2: Plotting with the Voltage Divider

Lab M3: Node Voltage, Matrices & Vectors, Quantization, and D/A Conversion

Lab M4 - Thévenin Equivalent Circuits

Lab M5: Sensors and Op-Amps

Lab M6: Non-inverting Amplifier

Lab M7: Digital Logic Gates

Lab M8: Transient Analysis with Capacitors

Lab M8.5: Square-Wave Oscillator (EXTRA CREDIT)

Lab 9 Email Proposal

Lab M9 - Week 2 Simulate Your Design (CDR)

Your performance in this course will be evaluated by:

• Lab reports based on responses to questions in lab handouts
• Lab attendance/checkoffs and interaction with TAs assessed subjectively by TA
• Optional assignments for extra points

There are no exams in this course.

Previous Experience

No previous experience with electronics or programming is assumed or needed in this class. We will be starting from scratch. However, many students in this class will have had some experience, either formal or informal, and a few students will have had a lot of experience.  If you are someone with little or no experience, do not be intimidated!  We will be working together, and the course is designed to start from the beginning.

Workload

It is anticipated that a typical student will need to spend the following amount of time each week:

0.5 hours watching videos

1.5 hours in lab and homework

Additional time for final project write-up

2+ hours per week

Lab attendance is mandatory, and all lab work must be done in the lab (or via Zoom) under the supervision of your lab TA. You must attend labs (via video conferencing software such as Zoom if doing the course remotely) at the times listed in the University's Class Schedule (Links to an external site.). Prior to missing a lab session, contact your TA to make arrangements to attend an alternate lab session. The lab TA will grade you on attendance. You must converse with your TA as instructed, and you must contact the lab TA before leaving the lab each week.  Doing all of these things is necessary in order to receive attendance credit.

You must have attended a lab (in person or remotely) in order to receive credit for it. 

You must do your OWN lab work.

All assignments, unless otherwise announced, must be submitted to the designated area of Canvas. Do not submit assignments via email.  Remember to login to CIS (U computer system you use to register) before trying to submit assignments.

To turn in Exams, Homework, or Lab Reports, take pictures of your work, typically with your phone, and covert the images to a pdf file using any of the apps available for phones, some of them free!  Submit everything to the appropriate assignment in Canvas.

Lab work is due as specified by your lab TA.  Generally, the due date will be one week and one day after you start the lab in your lab section.

Late labs will be accepted through Dec. 10 without penalty, however these labs help you learn important material in the class, and doing them later will make them less help in the leraning.

Grading for this course

To calculate your grade, your total scores in assignment categories are weighted as follows:

• 95% Lab Reports
• 10% Lab Attendance/Checkoffs
•   9% Extra Credit Lab

Note that you can significantly improve your grade by doing the extra credit.

Course Grading Scale

This course uses the following absolute grading scale.  Grades are calculated by Canvas.  Be aware that Canvas grades may be inflated if missing scores have not been set to zero, so you must take this into account.  Also, Canvas uses a weighted sum of percentages as shown in the Assignments section of Canvas.

Disclaimer

Accommodations will be considered on an individual basis and may require documentation.

Please contact your instructor and/or teaching assistant as soon as possible (preferably shortly before the semester begins) to request accommodations of any kind.

Extreme personal circumstances

Please contact your instructor as soon as possible if an extreme personal circumstance
(hospitalization, death of a close relative, natural disaster, etc.) is interfering with your ability to complete your work.

Religious Practice

To request an accommodation for religious practices, contact your instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Active Duty Military

If you are student on active duty with the military and experience issues that prevent you from participating in the course because of deployment or service responsibilities, contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.

Disability Access

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services (CDS). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.

If you will need accommodations in this class, contact:

Center for Disability Services
801-581-5020
disability.utah.edu
162 Union Building
200 S. Central Campus Dr.
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

This syllabus is not a contract. It is meant to serve as an outline and guide for your course. Please note that your instructor may modify it to accommodate the needs of your class.

You will be notified of any changes to the Syllabus.

Though the online format allows students greater flexibility to complete their work, this course does have a structure and timeline! As such, the following is expected of all students in this class:

• Students must be self-motivated, organized, and willing to stay on top of their schedule. Students should take control of their learning while in this course.
• Students are expected to follow the Core Rules of Netiquette at all times while participating in the class and communicating with others.
• Students will log in to the course a minimum of 3 times per week.
• Students are not expected to interact with their classmates in person. Students may be expected to work with classmates via online communication options like Canvas Discussions, video conferencing, or another communication technologies of choice (Groupme, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, etc).
• Students will regularly check for course updates and will update their Canvas notification settings to ensure they receive timely notifications from the course.
• Students will contact their instructor or teaching assistant in a timely manner if they have any questions, are struggling with course materials, or need further assistance from their instructor.
  • If you do not hear back within 3 days after sending a message, please contact your instructor/TA again.
• Students will follow all official University of Utah policies regarding interpersonal conduct, academic dishonesty, and other rights and responsibilities of students outlined in the University of Utah Student Handbook and Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
  • If you have any questions about this, please contact the Dean of Students.

Your course instructor is an expert in the topics you will learn about this semester. Your instructor is your mentor and facilitator of the classroom experience, aided by teaching assistants. Instructors are committed to:

• The instructor will design the course to include lectures, learning materials, and assignments that are accessible and provide students with opportunities to learn and practice course content.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will ensure that the course remains a safe space where students can engage with difficult content thoughtfully and respectfully.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will interact with the class regularly via announcements, virtual office hours (one-on-one video conferencing), emails/the Canvas Inbox, feedback on assignments, and comments on Discussions, among other methods.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will respond to students in a timely manner: within 48 hours, not including weekends and holidays.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will be available for individual consultation via virtual office hours (one-on-one video conferencing), email, or phone and will not require students to meet in person.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will provide relevant feedback in a timely manner.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will follow all official University of Utah policies regarding interpersonal conduct, accommodations, and other important duties.