A project-oriented integral curriculum on Electronics for Telecommunication Engineers

Abstract

This paper describes the Electronics curriculum in the Telecommunication Engineer degree at Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) in Spain. Telecommunication Engineering started in the 2003-2004 academic year. In these years, all the electronic courses have been set up with a main practical orientation and with Project Based Learning (PBL) activities, both compulsory and voluntary. Once these courses have been successfully implemented we have reoriented some of the practical activities to be more interlaced. In this sense, projects involving students of different courses have been developed, as well as projects involving students from different years. All these activities fit in the principles promulgated by the Declaration of Bologna, which results in the actual updating of the university degree structure in Spain.

Full text

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A Project-Oriented Integral Curriculum on
Electronics for Telecommunication Engineers
F. Machado, N. Malpica, J. Vaquero, B. Arredondo, S. Borromeo
º Departamento de Tecnología Electrónica
Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Móstoles, Madrid, Spain
{felipe.machado, norberto.malpica, joaquin.vaquero, belen.arredondo, susana.borromeo}@urjc.es

Abstract— This paper describes the Electronics curriculum in the
Telecommunication Engineer degree at Rey Juan Carlos
University (URJC) in Spain. Telecommunication Engineering
started in the 2003-2004 academic year. In these years, all the
electronic courses have been set up with a main practical
orientation and with Project Based Learning (PBL) activities,
both compulsory and voluntary. Once these courses have been
successfully implemented we have reoriented some of the
practical activities to be more interlaced. In this sense, projects
involving students of different courses have been developed, as
well as projects involving students from different years. All these
activities fit in the principles promulgated by the Declaration of
Bologna, which results in the actual updating of the university
degree structure in Spain.
Keywords: integral curriculum, Electronics, project-oriented,
Bologna process
I.
INTRODUCTION
This paper describes the Electronics curriculum of the
Telecommunication Engineer degree at Universidad Rey Juan
Carlos (Spain). Telecommunication
established in the 2003-2004 academic year. In these years, all
the electronic courses have been set up with a main practical
orientation and with Project Based Learning (PBL) activities,
both compulsory and voluntary. In addition, the electronic
curriculum has been consistently defined considering the
contents and the relationships among the courses. These
courses have been successfully implemented [1], [2].
Engineering was
Project-based learning is an instructional method that
challenges students to think critically and enhance their ability
to analyze and solve real world problems, develop skill in
gathering and evaluating the information needed for solving
problems, gain experience working cooperatively in teams.
Successful implementation of Project Based Learning (PBL)
strategies has been well documented [3-5].
Moreover, the regulatory modifications promulgated by the
Bologna Process results in the implementation of new
university degrees structures in Spain [6] and the adoption of
the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
(ECTS) [7]. This process implies a shift from traditional
teacher-centered to a learner-centered approach, thus new
teaching methodologies have to be introduced that focus on a
more active participation of students in their learning process.
In this context, we have reoriented some of the practical
activities to be more interlaced. Projects within more than one
course and activities among students of different courses have
been developed. Moreover, projects to be executed in more
than one academic year have been planned. The implemented
curriculum structure and the new activities proposed, allow a
seamless transition to the Bologna Process.
This paper is structured as follows; section 2 presents the
electronics curriculum context and the relationship among
different courses and a description of the details, methodology,
contents, evaluation data and organization of every course.
Section 3 describes the recently introduced PBL activities
among different courses. Finally, the results are summarized
and discussed, and the conclusions are presented.
II.
Prior to the implementation of the Bologna Process, the
Telecommunication Engineering degree was structured in five
years, each one having two semesters. Each semester has an
average of 36 credits. Each credit is equivalent to 10 hours of
lessons including lectures and labs. A final degree project has
to be presented (9 credits). The aim of this project is to develop
a supervised complete engineering project, as a first approach
to the student’s future professional activity. It is equivalent to a
MSc. Thesis.
ELECTRONICS CURRICULUM IN TELECOMMUNICATION
Figure 1 shows the courses related to Electronics in the
Telecommunication degree. All these courses are compulsory
and, except for those shaded, are taught by the department of
Electronics. Therefore, we have been able to elaborate a
complete and comprehensive Electronics curriculum with no
overlapping contents.
As can be seen, the courses cover both digital and analogue
electronics. Besides, there are some other courses very closely
related to the electronics curriculum. Computer Fundamentals,
taught in the second year (fig. 1), are a required background for
following courses. There is also a course on Communication
Terminals, given in the fifth year, focused on the terminals
basic specifications and internal block architecture.
Even though it is not shown in fig. 1, it is worth noticing
that second year students also attend Photonics, covering the
basis aspects of optoelectronic devices (LEDs, Photodiodes,
Lasers…). This subject together with AE, will serve as
background for Optical Communications I and II, which will
be taught in the fourth and fifth years respectively.

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ECM (6cr.)
Electronic Components
and Measuresand Measures
DE1 (4.5cr)
Digital
Electronics IElectronics I
CAD (6 credits)
Circuit analysis
and designand design
AE (6cr.)
Analogue
ElectronicsElectronics
1-1
1-1
1-1
1-1
2-1
2-1
2-1
2-1
3-1
3-1
3-1
3-1
4-1
4-1
4-1
4-1
Analogue
Electronics Electronics
Digital
Electronics Electronics
Computer
FundamentalsFundamentals
year -
semestersemester
ESCD (6 cr.)
Electronic Systems &
Circuits DesignCircuits Design
DE2 (4.5cr)
Digital
Electronics II Electronics II
DES (6cr)
Digital Electronic
Systems Systems
CF1(6cr.)
Computer
Fundamentals IFundamentals I
CF2 (6cr)
Computer
Fundamentals IIFundamentals II
1-2
1-2
1-2
1-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
2-2
EI (6 cr.)
Electronic
InstrumentationInstrumentation
4-2
4-2
4-2
4-2
5 5 5 5
MSc Thesis (9 cr.)
MSc Thesis (9 cr.)
ECM (6cr.)
Electronic Components
DE1 (4.5cr)
Digital
CAD (6 credits)
Circuit analysis
AE (6cr.)
Analogue
Analogue Digital
Computer
year -
ESCD (6 cr.)
Electronic Systems &
DE2 (4.5cr)
Digital
DES (6cr)
Digital Electronic
CF1(6cr.)
Computer
CF2 (6cr)
Computer
EI (6 cr.)
Electronic

Figure 1: Electronic and related courses in the degree
On their fifth year, students who want to broaden their
knowledge of electronics can work on their MSc. Thesis in our
department.
Finally, it is also worth mentioning the approximate
number of students attending electronic courses in each year.
First year students attending ECM and EDI are around 150
divided in two groups, with one professor per group, and the
support of another professor for laboratories. Second year
students coursing AE and EDII are around 80 divided in two
groups, with two professors both for theory and laboratory.
Third year students coursing DES are approximately 60, with
one professor for theory and two for the laboratory. Fourth
year students coursing ESCD and EI are approximately 30,
with one professor for theory and laboratory.
Following, a brief description of each course will be given.
A. Electronic Components and Measurements (ECM)
The Electronic Components and Measurements (ECM)
course is a 6 credit second semester, first year compulsory
course. ECM comprises theory (3 credits), practical exercises
in class (1.5 credits) and practical work in the laboratory (1.5
credits). The essential background on circuit analysis is
provided by the first semester, first year course on Circuit
Analysis & Design (CAD) as can be seen in fig. 1. Therefore,
students are familiar with linear circuit analysis with basic
passive components, resistors, inductors and capacitors. On the
other hand, this course provides the necessary knowledge on
basic electronic components needed for the second year
Analogue Electronics (AE) course.
According to the number of students and available
laboratories, the students are divided in two groups for
theoretical lectures and practical exercises classes and in three
groups for laboratory work.
The aim of the ECM course is the learning of electronic
fundamentals, including semiconductor principles and basic
analogue circuits with individual components, and basic
laboratory procedures, such
measurements techniques and safety procedures. First, the
Operational Amplifier is introduced, as a “black box”, in both
linear and non-linear circuits. This allows the student to design
fully functional basic circuits from the very beginning. Then,
the principles of the rectifier and Zener diode and associated
basic circuits are deeply studied, followed by other diode types
(Schottky, LED, photodiode, tunnel) explanation. Finally,
Bipolar and FET transistors are studied both following the
same scheme; principles, models, DC analysis, applications
and ideal-actual component comparison. The AC analysis is
also explained as an introduction to AE course.
us instrumentation use,
During theoretical lectures, multiple practical examples are
used in the explanation. Practical exercises classes are
reinforced with circuit simulations. Students have circuit
simulation software available in free-access computer rooms.
Laboratory work comprises a theoretical circuit to be studied
analysis, circuit simulation, practical circuit implementation
and critic practical-theoretical results comparison. This work is
divided in five different guided sessions:
•
Linear circuit analysis, where instrumentation use and
measurement techniques are applied to simple linear
circuit, so the student acquires the necessary skills
•
Circuit simulation software, that will be used in the
following sessions
•
•
•
Operational Amplifier linear circuits implementation
Basic rectifier diode circuits
Bipolar transistor basic circuits.
The final mark is given by the exam mark weighted by 0.7
plus the laboratory mark weighted by 0.3. A minimum of 4
over 10 points are needed in the exam mark to pass the course.
Laboratory work is evaluated in situ and, in addition, students
must prepare a final report of each laboratory session.
B. Digital Electronics I (DE1)
The Digital Electronics I (DEI) course is a 4.5 credit second
semester, first year compulsory course. DEI comprises theory
(3 credits), practical exercises in class (0.5 credits) and
practical work in the laboratory (1.0 credits). This is the first
course on digital electronics in the degree, and provides the
necessary knowledge on basic digital electronics needed for the
second year Digital Electronics II (DEII) course, and for the
higher level courses on electronic systems.
The aim of the course is to introduce the basic concepts in
digital electronics, from numbering systems to simple
sequential circuits. The following subjects are covered:

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•
Introduction to digital vs. analogue electronics. Review
of sampling and quantification, advantages of
electronics, brief history.
•
Numbering systems and codes: Basic binary
numbering systems (1’s complement, 2’s complement)
and coding is presented. Binary arithmetics.
•
Boolean algebra, logical functions and function
simplification.
•
Logical gates: Definition of the different logical gates,
equivalences among them, and a short chapter on
fabrication technologies and logical families.
The rest of the course deals is devoted to block design::
•
Standard combinational blocks: review of the different
blocks, practical designs using them. The chapter ends
with the Arithmetic-Logic Unit, which serves as a
review of the different block functions.
•
Sequential circuits. Only biestables, registers and
counters are studied, leaving more complicated designs
for Digital Electronics II (DE2).
Students carry out two types of lab work. In the first
session, they measure the features of several logical circuits
and learn how to build simple circuits with discrete
components. The second part of the course consists in
designing and simulating circuits using schematics. We use the
ISE-WebPack environment (Xilinx, San Jose, CA). Students
are required to take three compulsory lab sessions and can also
undertake several voluntary designs.
The final grade is given by the exam mark on top of which
the laboratory mark is added (ranging from 0 to 1). A minimum
of 4 over 10 points are needed in the exam mark to pass the
course. Laboratory work is evaluated in situ and, in addition,
students should send the project (schematics file) to be
evaluated by the professor.
C. Digital Electronics II (DEII)
The digital electronic II (DE2) course is a 4.5 credit second
year compulsory course. DE2 comprises theory (1.5 credits)
and practical work in the laboratory (3 credits). Students taking
this course have already a digital electronic background
provided by the second semester, first year course on digital
electronic I (DE1) where the have been taught the theoretical
fundamentals of digital electronic design at logic level and
logic-block level.
The aim of DE2 course is twofold: analyze and design
sequential circuits and provide the necessary knowledge on the
VHDL hardware description language. During the course,
students will deep in digital design methodology. They will
learn the methodology to design moderately complex digital
circuits using finite state machines, computer-aided design
(CAD) tools, VHDL and programmable logic devices
(FPGAs). This course provides the necessary knowledge on
digital design needed for the fourth year ESCD course.
The course takes place in a lab equipped for digital
electronics. Designs are implemented in the Pegasus FPGA
Board (Digilent, Pullman, WA) using Xilinx ISE. In this course
students learn the design methodology and the hardware
description languages (VHDL) in a practical way. This
practical work consists of ten lab sessions where several
FPGAs based systems of incremental complexity are
implemented. The sessions are structured as follows:
•
Introduction to development environment: Pegasus
FPGA board and Xilinx ISE.
•
VHDL design: concurrent sentences and process. The
purpose of this session is to design standard
combinational blocks: multiplexers, code converter and
7- segment decoder.
•
VHDL sequential circuits: flip-flops, counters and shift
register.
•
•
VHDL for simulation: design of testbenches.
Design of system based on finite states machines: door
lock, vending machine and controlling the speed of a
DC motor circuit using PWM.
The final grade is given by the exam mark on top of which
the laboratory mark is added (ranging from 0 to 1). A minimum
of 4 over 10 points are needed in the exam mark to pass the
course. Laboratory work is evaluated in situ and, in addition,
students should send the project (VHDL code) to be evaluated
by professor.
D. Analogue Electronics (AE)
The analogue electronic (AE) course is a 6 credit second
year compulsory course. AE comprises theory (4.5 credits) and
practical work in the laboratory (1.5 credits). Students taking
this course have already an analogue electronic background
provided by two different first year courses (Circuit Analysis &
Design (CAD), and Electronic Components and Measurements
(ECM)) as can be seen in fig. 1. Therefore, students coursing
AE possess significant knowledge of circuit analysis
techniques, and deep understanding of simple analogue circuits
with individual components.
The main aim of the AE course is to analyze and design
fairly complicated amplifier circuits based on single
components. First, standard parameters such as gain, input and
output impedance of typical amplifier configurations using
Bipolar and FET transistors are studied. This is followed by a
deep analysis of frequency response and typical feedback
networks. Finally, the course ends up with a quick review of
power stage amplifiers.
During theoretical lectures, multiple practical examples are
introduced in the explanation. Besides, in order to pass the
course, students are obliged to attend practical work in the
laboratory. This practical work consists of six guided sessions
in the laboratory. Three different experimental setups are
proposed, corresponding to the design and analysis of different
amplifiers:
•
•
Design and analysis of a voltage amplifier
Design and analysis of a current amplifier

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•
Analysis of a multiple-stage amplifier (power
amplifier).
Students are evaluated in situ in the laboratory and, in
addition, they will hand in a final report of the laboratory work.
Those with a good laboratory work can raise the exam mark up
to one point (provided they obtained a minimum of 4 over 10
in the exam). Thus, the final grade is given by the exam mark
on top of which the laboratory mark is added (ranging from 0
to 1).
E. Digital Electronic Systems (DES)
The Digital Electronic Systems (DES) course is a 6 credit
third year compulsory course. DES comprises theory (3.0
credits) and practical work in the laboratory (3.0 credits).
Students taking this course have already a background on
digital electronics provided by two first and second year
courses (Digital Electronics I and II), and knowledge of
microprocessor architecture and assembler language, provided
by Computer Fundamentals I and II, as can be seen in fig. 1.
The aim of the course is to learn how to design simple
embedded systems based on microcontrollers. Students learn
microcontroller architecture in detail as well as A/D conversion
in class lessons. Half of the course is devoted to lab work,
where several microcontroller based systems of incremental
complexity are implemented. A PIC16F676 from Microchip
(Chandler, AZ) and the rfPICKit1 have been selected as lab
tools.
A first lab assignment is a simple traffic light controller.
The second assignment involves Analogue to Digital
conversion from a LM35 temperature sensor. The aim of the
third assignment is the connection of a LCD display to the PIC
controller. Both ideas are integrated in the next assignment, in
which a converted temperature is displayed in the screen. The
last assignment consists in controlling a fan using a step motor
through PWM according to the temperature of the room.
All lab work is carried out in assembler language, which
students have already used in a previous course on
microprocessor architecture. Although higher level languages
are now commonly used for microcontroller programming, we
think working directly with assembler is the best way to learn
the architecture in detail.
Students are evaluated in situ in the laboratory and, in
addition, they will hand in a final report of the laboratory work.
Those with a good laboratory work can raise the exam mark up
to one point. Thus, the final grade is given by the exam mark
on top of which the laboratory mark is added (ranging from 0
to 1).
F. Electronic Systems and Circuis Design (ESCD)
The ESCD course [1] is a fourth year 6 credit compulsory
course. The main objective of the course is to make students
face the challenge of designing real digital electronic systems,
showing the different design alternatives and their tradeoffs. As
it can be observed in fig. 1, students taking this course have
demonstrated their fundamental theoretical knowledge in
digital design, computer architecture and analogue electronics.
Thus, in this course we want students to learn the design
methodology in a practical way, assimilating the acquired
knowledge in those courses and above all, that they face the
real problems of digital electronic design and that they are able
to solve them.
The contents of the course cover issues related to design
methodology of complex circuits (modular design, reuse,
testability, optimization), circuit interfacing and specific
circuits, such as arithmetic circuits.
The course follows a PBL methodology. Rather than
following a course based on the contents, we have decided to
propose projects that introduce the students to those contents.
Hence, during circuit design students face new challenges, and
find the need to solve these problems. This raises their interest
in the different solution methods.
The course has been structured in three kinds of classes:
Seminars, guided laboratories and final project
Seminars are theoretical classes given throughout the
semester. These seminars introduce the initial subjects and
present each guided laboratory and the final project. These
seminars summarize the problems that the students will face
and the different approaches to tackle them. References are
also included for further research.
The guided laboratories are the main learning method of
the course. Students are faced with design projects of
incremental complexity. The implementation of these projects
leads the students to acquire the necessary experience to deal
with the final project. Examples of these projects are the design
of an UART, VGA controller, or a tennis videogame.

Figure 2: Snapshot of a videogame final DCSE project

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Figure 3: Snapshot of a digital video final project
There is a continuous and formative assessment throughout
the semester, in which alumni are provided with information on
the adequacy and evolution of their work. Students are
evaluated by their final project (70%) and theoretical exams
(30%).
G. Electronic Instrucmentation (EI)
The EI course is a fourth year 6 credit compulsory course.
The fundamental concepts and methodologies of electronic
instrumentation are covered in this course. The course has been
structured in theoretical lectures, laboratories (1.5 credits), and
two design projects.
The contents of the course cover issues that have not yet
been studied, i.e., sensors, the design of signal conditioning
circuits, an elementary introduction to signal transmission,
several lectures on noise and interference and LabView (NI,
Austin, TX) virtual instrumentation and data acquisition
software.
The students carry out two types of lab work. In the first
sessions, they use discrete components and two different
experimental setups are proposed:
•
Analysis and measurement of real operational
amplifier parameters
•
Design of the RTD sensor conditioning circuit.
During the final lab sessions, students learn about NI
LabView environment and the basics of data acquisition.
Finally, they will develop an analogue input tool based on the
RTD conditioning circuit designed in former sessions and on
the NI USB-6009 Data Acquisition board.
On the other hand, students must hand in two design
projects. The aim of these projects is to design a basic
measurement system. Students should be able to understand the
main specifications of a measuring system, select a specific
sensor for an application, design conditioning circuits, connect
sensors and actuators and integrate the measuring system to
microcontroller-based systems. The design of a basic weather
station capable of measuring the main meteorological
variables: temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed is
an example of a final project.
The final grade is given by the exam mark weighted by 0.8
plus the design project weighted by 0.2. A minimum of 4 over
10 points are needed in the exam mark to pass the course.
III.
PROJECT BASED LEARNING AMONG DIFFERENT
COURSES
We are currently carrying out voluntary lab works
involving knowledge of different courses. In these labs,
students of different courses jointly develop an electronic
design. These labs follow a PBL methodology, in which the
circuit specifications are given at the beginning and students
have to find their own solution and build the circuit design. The
projects have minimum goals, but proposals to enhance the
project goals are provided, in case the students wish to continue
developing it.
These labs are carried out during the first half of the course;
therefore, the students perform them as they start with the
contents given in their respective courses. This approach has
the following “benefits” for the student:
•
Students have the need to acquire the knowledge of the
course prior to the exam and the compulsory labs.
•
Students have investigated different solutions and have
implemented the solution they think is more adequate.
•
When the course contents are given during the
compulsory classes and labs, students can compare
their solution with other solutions.
•
Students reinforce their knowledge when the contents
are given during the classes and compulsory labs.
We have developed two kinds of projects:
•
•
Horizontal projects
Vertical projects
The horizontal projects involve students of the same year.
For this kind of projects, the participants are students of Digital
Electronics II (DE2) and Analogue Electronics (AE), both
belonging to the first semester of the second year. These
projects can be considered as horizontal in the sense that all
students have the same level.
The vertical projects involve students of different years;
therefore, the participants have different knowledge in
electronics. These projects are considered as vertical since
students of upper courses guide the other students. As a result,

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