Principles of Telecommunications (21300)

Degree/study: Bachelor's Degree in Telematics Engineering
Year: 1st year
Term: 1st term
Number of ECTS credits: 4 credits
Hours of studi dedication: 100 hours
Teaching language or languages: Catalan
Teaching Staff: Vanesa Daza, Àngel Lozano

1. Presentation of the subject

"Principles of Telecommunications (21300)" is a compulsory subject offered within the Degree in Telematics Engineering at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. It consists of 4 ETCS credits and is taught during the first term (September-December) of the academic year.

It offers students an overview of the different parts that make up a telecommunications system, along with some vocabulary and concepts that they will use throughout their academic and professional life. Students will later acquire deeper and specific knowledge on each of the parts of a communications system thanks to the different subject of their degree studies (Signals and Systems, Data Transmission and Encoding, Means of Transmission and Electronic Circuits, etc.)

There will be a historical review on the evolution of the communication systems up to the various communication technologies available today.

This is an introductory course and therefore the students are not expected to be related to these technologies. The expected prior knowledge in order to take this course is that of a baccalaureate or of a higher-level training cycle.

The focus of this course is more descriptive than analytical: a wide range of aspects (from the electromagnetic signal generation to the mechanisms allowing the transmission of data) will be thoroughly described. These concepts will be discussed during the lectures and with the help of all technologies used, in order to complete the explanation. The course also includes a practical part in which problems dealing with the concepts explained on the lectures will be solved (seminar sessions) and simulated (laboratory sessions).

2. Competences to be obtained in the subject

Transferable skills

Specific competences

Instrumental 1. Ability to think analytically and to summarize. 2. Ability to apply knowledge to analyze situations and solve problems. 3. Ability to communicate orally in writing in Catalan and Spanish both with experienced and inexperienced audiences. Interpersonal 1. Ability to work as a team. 2. Leadership, coordination and initiative. 3. Develop a critical opinion. Systemic 7. Ability to apply the foreground in a flexible and creative way and do adapt it to new contexts and situations. 8. Ability to progress son the learning process in an autonomous and continuous way. 9. Motivation for la quality.

(S) 1. Ability to analyze and specify the basic parameters of a communications system. 2. Ability to assess the advantages and disadvantages of various technological alternatives for deployment or implementation of communications systems from the point of view of signal space, perturbation and noise and analog and digital modulation systems. 3. Ability to acquire a basic vocabulary of communications. 4. Ability to define the main telecommunication services. 5. Have a broad idea about the main telecommunication technologies available. 6.  Ability to use different energy sources (specially that of photovoltaic solar energy) and the fundamentals of power electronics. 7. Ability to understand mechanisms of detection and error correction. 8. Ability to use ARQ techniques. 9. Ability to understand the need for encryption mechanisms and to recognize the classical mechanisms. 10. Ability to identify the main multiplex transmission techniques.

3. Contents

- Block 0. Introduction to Telecommunications
- Block 1. Communications Basics 
- Block 2. Encoding and Modulation
- Block 3. Information Encryption
- Block 4. Error Detection and Correction
- Block 5. Multiplexing
- Block 6. Data Link Control

4. Evaluation of the level of competences accomplishment

This course will be assessed in a continuous way through the learning activities suggested by the teaching staff. This approach is intended to any student difficulties in acquiring different skills and to give effective feedback to resolve such conflicts.

This course's assessment consists of several parts:

     • Theory: At the end of the blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 there will be a theory exam (multiple choice) to monitor the concepts explained during the lectures. This exam will be done through the Moodle platform hosted at the course's Aula Global within a specific time schedule. All exams have the same weight. This part (T) represents 25% of the grade of the subject.
     • Problems: This part's grade depends on the exposition and the individual delivery of some problems and exercises on the lists presented at the seminar sessions. This part (P) represents 15% of the grade of the subject.
     • Laboratory: This part's grade depends on the realisation and the delivery in pairs of the laboratory exercises within the deadline. This part (L) represents 15% of the grade of the subject.
     • Wiki: This part (W) represents 15% of the grade of the subject. It will show that the competences that this activity envisages (to work as a team, develop a critical opinion, etc.) have been achieved.
     • End of Term Exam: There is a final exam at the end of the quarter in which students will have to apply the concepts and skills acquired during this course. This part (E) represents 30% of the grade of the subject.

Those who chose continuous assessment must sit this test but only those who have obtained a score of 4 or more for each of the 4 preceding aspects will be able to do so. A score of 4 or more for the exam is needed so that it can be used to calculate the average grade for the course. Otherwise, students won't pass the subject.

If a student decides not to follow the continuous assessment or if a student doesn't obtain a score of 4 or more in the continuous assessment (in the theory, problems, laboratory or the wiki parts), s/he will have to option to write an end of term exam. It will consist of a theory part (50%) a problems part (30%) and a laboratory part (20%) and will be more complete than that of the continuous assessment.

Continuous assessment:
25%T+15%P+15%L+15%W+30%E=NF if íT,P,L,W,Eý>=4

End of term exam:
100%E=FS

5. Bibliography and didactic resources

5.1 Basic bibliography

     • Comunicaciones y redes de computadores, William Stallings, Pearson Education 2000.
     • Redes de Comunicaciones, Behrouz Forouzan, MacGraw Hill Education, 2007.

5.2 Complementary bibliography

     • Redes de Computadoras, Andrew Tanenbaum, Pearson Education, 2003.
     • Señales. La Ciencia de las Telecomunicaciones, J. R. Pierce, A. M. Noll, Reverté 1995.

5.3 Didactic resources and teaching material

     • Student will have access to teaching material that corresponds to the theory sessions over the Moodle page of the course.
     • Students will have access to the collection of problems that corresponds to the seminar sessions over the Moodle page of the course

6. Metodology

All blocks of the subject begin with one or several theory sessions for the students to acquire the necessary knowledge on the topic to be discussed. These theory sessions are classrooms activities that place in rooms for 50-70 students. At the end of these sessions, students must read the notes of the lecture (as well as some documents if the teaching staff advises them to do so) punctually and individually in order to successfully complete the learning process. 

All documents will be available through the subject's Moodle page so that students can solve the activities in an autonomous way and following the teacher's instructions. After completing the theory sessions, students must answer several choice questions multiple through the task created for this purpose, which is to find in the subject's Moodle page. This method allows on-line self-assessment by the students.

Once the students are acquainted with these theory concepts, they will have to show that they have the ability to think analytically and to summarize during the seminar sessions. In order to do so, they will have to solve several exercises by choosing the best option to solve a list of problems. Students will have access to them though the subject's Moodle page before the seminar sessions. These sessions will be held in small groups (12-20 students) and with the teacher's help. They are one-hour sessions in which the students have to solve some problems on the blackboard and to explain their option both to the fellow students and to the teacher. S/he may ask the students to submit some related exercises (whether they are on the list or no) through a specific task on the subject's Moodle page. These exercises must be done and handed in individually.  

The seminar sessions are compulsory for the monitoring of continuous assessment and, therefore, students must sign the attendance list. If the student has a good cause for dismissal, s/he will have to present a written excuse to the teacher. Other than in case of serious illness, students (even with a written excuse) must not be absent more than twice throughout the course.

At some point during the course, the reduced format of the seminar sessions may be used to introduce some aspects of the theoretical concepts covered in class. In that case, the necessary introduction will be made and theoretical issues explained. As in the other seminar sessions, teachers may ask the students to hand in some problems related to the topic discussed.

Laboratory sessions are thought as a complement to the seminar ones. During laboratory sessions, students will have to perform practical simulations of the concepts presented in the theory and seminar sessions using appropriate software for it. Each laboratory session will last for 2 hours and will be held under teacher supervision. Students will have to show that they are able to relate the theory concepts introduced during the various course sessions and the simulations. To do so, they will build groups of 2 people. Students will be asked to hand the complete solution for their work through a specific task on the subject's Moodle page always within the deadline. 

Moreover, with the main aim of promoting proactive behaviour, it is suggested that that the students carry out an activity which is related to the knowledge, abilities and skills that this subject intends to promote. Students will create and manage a wiki, as a cooperative work tool. A group of 4 people (2 lab groups) will form a team to work on the wiki on a regular basis throughout the 10 week-course. Each group will be given a subject, on which they will have to work gradually as the different topics are discussed on the lectures. All members of the group need to participate in an equal way. In order to monitor that, a different colour (orange, red, blue, green) will be assigned to each of the members of a group, who will have to use it in all his/her contributions to the wiki.