Overview
In this unit, you will expand your understanding of communications systems encompassing wireless and optical technologies. You will gain advanced knowledge of communication devices and systems and the ability to analyse various parameters such as loss, bandwidth, and signal quality. You will verify the developed theories using advanced simulation tools and gain knowledge of state-of-the-art communication systems. This unit will also provide you with opportunities to further develop your communication skills through collaborative teamwork and participation in class discussions. Furthermore, the unit also provides some awareness of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 in the context of engineering practice which is to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation by developing advanced communications systems.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit Survey's feedback
The assessments were challenging and perhaps more difficult than what they should be.
Revise the assessment tasks to ensure they align well with the scaffolded learning activities. In addition, design and provide learning activities to help students develop knowledge and skills to solve more challenging problems.
Feedback from Unit Survey's feedback
Students are not familiar with the industry software used for the design assessment. Although, the software has been taught in the intensive learning workshop, it is helpful to have more practices of the software during the term.
Incorporate software-based problems in the weekly tutorial exercises to allow early and more frequent practices of using the software and therefore enhance competency in using the software.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator's reflection
The range of topics covered in the unit are perhaps excessive for one term.
Revise the unit learning contents to streamline the materials and improve the content flow.
Feedback from Unit Survey's feedback
It is helpful to provide guidance and specific explanations of the assessment tasks to help students perform well in the assessments.
Provide dedicated workshops to assist students with the assessments to improve their understanding of the assessment expectations and provide suggestive strategies to tackle the assessment problems.
- Analyse communication systems
- Calculate power, bandwidth, and signal quality for the communication systems
- Examine the characteristics of common communication components and systems through simulations
- Design sophisticated communication systems and predict their performance
- Produce professional engineering reports adhering to electrical engineering standards using appropriate terminologies and symbols
- Successfully complete engineering projects autonomously and in a team with a responsible, ethical, and professional attitude.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 25% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 35% | ||||||
| 3 - Project (applied) - 40% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||||
| 4 - Research | ||||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Textbooks
Optical Fiber Communications: Principles And Practice
- Edition: 3rd (2008)
- Authors: John Senior
- Pearson
- Harlow Harlow , Essex , England
- ISBN: 978-0-130-32681-2
The physical book is Out of Print, but can be accessed at the Library website.
- Binding: Paperback
The physical book is Out of Print, but can be accessed at the Library website.
Wireless Communication Networks and Systems
- Global Edition, 1st edition (2016)
- Authors: Cory Beard, and William Stallings
- Pearson
- ISBN: 9781292108711
If you are having issues accessing the eBook at the Library website, paper copies can be accessed at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
- Binding: Paperback
If you are having issues accessing the eBook at the Library website, paper copies can be accessed at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Zoom app on your smart phone or access to Zoom on your laptop
- Matlab
- VPI Photonic design suite
- Pdf creator/scanner
- Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.bui@cqu.edu.au
Week 1
Begin Date: 08 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Teaching Arrangements and Introduction to Communication Systems
Chapter
Beard and Stallings' textbook Chapter 1 and Senior's textbook Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 2
Begin Date: 15 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Transmission Fundamentals
Chapter
Beard and Stallings' textbook Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 3
Begin Date: 22 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Communication Networks
Chapter
Beard and Stallings' textbook Chapter 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 4
Begin Date: 29 Jul 2024Module/Topic
Wireless Communications
Chapter
Beard and Stallings' textbook Chapter 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Quiz 1: Due on Friday of Week 4 at 11:59 pm AEST
Week 5
Begin Date: 05 Aug 2024Module/Topic
The Wireless Channel
Chapter
Beard and Stallings' textbook Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Vacation Week
Begin Date: 12 Aug 2024Module/Topic
None teaching week
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 6
Begin Date: 19 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Signal Encoding Techniques
Chapter
Beard and Stallings' textbook Chapter 7
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7
Begin Date: 26 Aug 2024Module/Topic
Introduction to Optical Fibre
Chapter
Senior's textbook Chapters 2 and 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Quiz 2: Due on Friday of Week 7 at 11:59 pm AEST
Week 8
Begin Date: 02 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Optical Sources - Lasers
Chapter
Senior's textbook Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 9
Begin Date: 09 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Optical Receivers - Photodetectors
Chapter
Senior's textbook Chapters 8 and 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 10
Begin Date: 16 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Optical Amplifiers
Chapter
Senior's textbook Chapter 10
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Quiz 3: Due on Friday of Week 10 at 11:59 pm AEST
Week 11
Begin Date: 23 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Optical System engineering - System Rise Time and Bandwidth
Chapter
Senior's textbook Chapter 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 12
Begin Date: 30 Sep 2024Module/Topic
Probability of Errors and Bit Error Rate (BER)
Chapter
Senior's textbook Chapter 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 07 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online Quiz 4: Due on Friday of Week 13 (Review/Exam Week) at 11:59 pm AEST
Exam Week
Begin Date: 14 Oct 2024Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This unit has a VPI Photonics Design Suite workshop held in Week 6 where students learn how to use the software for modelling optical systems. Since the competent use of the software is essential for doing the design assignment, workshop attendance is compulsory.
1 Online Quiz(zes)
The assessment is a set of four online quizzes which can be accessed via the unit Moodle site. A set of multiple-choice and calculation questions is assigned to provide students with the means for self-testing their understanding of the materials taught in the period preceding the quizzes. The quizzes are an integrated part of the study to assess understanding of key concepts for various topics. Details of the quizzes will be provided with the quizzes on the unit Moodle.
Each quiz has a set time to complete and once a student starts a quiz, it will close after the set time. Once started, a quiz cannot be paused in the middle. Students are advised to allow sufficient time for doing the quiz as indicated in the quiz's instructions before starting the quiz. Each quiz will be available up to 1 week after the last week of the materials to be tested. For example, the quiz for weeks 10 to 12 materials will close on Friday of week 13.
Each quiz can be attempted multiple times, but the score for the quiz will be the average score of all attempts. In your different attempts, you will receive different questions as the system selects the questions randomly from a set of questions. The correct answers to the quiz questions will be available after you submit your answers. If you encounter any network access issues during the quiz, the unit coordinator should be notified at your earliest convenience.
4
Other
Due on Friday of Weeks 4, 7, 10 and 13 (Review/Exam Week) at 11:59
Results are available immediately after the attempt is finalised and submitted.
Correct numerical answers or choose the best answer among the available multiple choices.
- Analyse communication systems
- Calculate power, bandwidth, and signal quality for the communication systems
2 Written Assessment
This written assessment covers topics from Weeks 1 to 6. The assignment questions will be released on the unit Moodle three weeks preceding the submission due date. It is not
expected that students must type up equations and calculations. Instead, students can scan clear and legible handwritten calculations for inclusions in the assignment report.
The assignment's mark and feedback will be returned to students within two weeks after the submission due date.
Week 9 Monday (9 Sept 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Submission of a single PDF file using a link in the unit Moodle.
Week 10 Monday (16 Sept 2024)
Marked assignment with feedback will be returned to students within two weeks after the assignment due date.
The assignments will be graded using the following criteria:
- Correct answers and units.
- Correct format.
- All work must be shown to obtain marks.
- Demonstration of ability to use Matlab to perform computation and visualisation.
- Proper use of references.
- The report must be neat, tidy and legible.
- All questions must be attempted.
- Analyse communication systems
- Calculate power, bandwidth, and signal quality for the communication systems
- Produce professional engineering reports adhering to electrical engineering standards using appropriate terminologies and symbols
- Successfully complete engineering projects autonomously and in a team with a responsible, ethical, and professional attitude.
3 Project (applied)
This assessment task requires students to use VPI Photonics Design Suite to design and predict the performance of an optical communication system and report the results and findings. The project consists of two components. The first component is the system design, and the second component is the investigation of the impacts of a predefined system parameter on the performance. This assessment task requires students to consolidate learning and apply fundamental knowledge and key concepts learned within the unit to solve a real-world problem. Students are encouraged to conduct research and use web resources for this assessment. Students can discuss their approach with peers, however, the simulation results and design report must be individual work.
Exam Week Monday (14 Oct 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Submission of a single PDF file using a link in the unit Moodle before the due date
Marked design report with feedback will be returned to students after the grade moderation date.
The detailed marking criteria are provided in the design assignment description document. Generally, marks will be allocated for the following criteria.
- Correct application of theoretical fundamentals and key concepts.
- Correct diagrams/illustrations using standard notations.
- Description of thought process/reasoning used for problem solving.
- Correct mathematical work and correct answer.
- All work must be shown to obtain full marks.
- Demonstration of ability to use VPI Photonics Design Suite to model optical systems.
- Proper use of references.
- The report must be neat, tidy and legible.
- All questions must be attempted.
- Examine the characteristics of common communication components and systems through simulations
- Design sophisticated communication systems and predict their performance
- Produce professional engineering reports adhering to electrical engineering standards using appropriate terminologies and symbols
- Successfully complete engineering projects autonomously and in a team with a responsible, ethical, and professional attitude.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
