This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Postgraduate Handbook 2015-2016 (archived)

Module ENGI30215: COMMUNICATIONS SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS

Department: Engineering

ENGI30215: COMMUNICATIONS SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Tied	3	15	Not available in 2015/2016		Durham

Tied To

H1K709: Communications Engineering

Pre-requisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combinations

None.

Aims

Enhance the students understanding of the fundamental principles of communications, and signal processing.
Develop the students practical experience through laboratory experiments.
Intoduce students to programming in Matlab and Simulink.

Content

Amplitude modulation and demodulation
Spectral analysis
RF bandpass filters
Optical communications
Pseudo random binary sequences and spread spectrum
Digital signal processing
Matlab and Simulink programming
Direct digital synthesis

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

An understanding of basic modulation theory and why and when to use it.
Appreciation of theoretical development of communications and why digital communications is so prevalent today.
To understand the mathematical representation of signals in both the time and frequency domains.
To know and understand the processing methods required to analyse signals.

Subject-specific Skills

To be able to apply these methods to new situations.
To observe and record accurately, data and experimental evidence in the laboratory.
The competent and safe use of standard engineering laboratory instrumentation.
To use computational tools and packages.

Key Skills

Capacity for self-learning in familiar and unfamiliar situations.
Numerical skills appropriate to an engineer.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Learning through a laboratory programme supported by tutotials.
Laboratory-based coursework aids the acquisition of subject-specific and key skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours
Practicals	6	1 per week for 6 weeks	3 hours	18
Tutorials	2		1 hour	2
Preparation and Reading				130
Total				150

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Coursework	100%	Lab reports	1 report per practical	100%

Formative Assessment

None.

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.