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| Module Availability |
| Autumn and Spring Semester |
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| Assessment Pattern |
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Unit(s) of Assessment
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Weighting Towards Module Mark( %)
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Aggregated laboratory assessment mark
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100%
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| Module Overview |
| Each student will be assessed each week and provided with feedback during the laboratory period. Assessments will be undertaken in the presence of the student throughout the semester. |
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
| None |
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| Module Aims |
1. To provide the opportunity required for professional accreditation for all Level HE1 students to gain the practical experience that will lead to basic competency in Laboratory practice & computer programming.
2. To reinforce lecture material so that students experience for themselves the relationship between theory and practice. |
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| Learning Outcomes |
1. For every Level HE1 student to have experienced for himself or herself over a significant period, the use of basic equipment, including tools needed for assembly of circuits, and electronic instruments needed to test and make measurements on them.
2. Every Level HE1 student should be able to demonstrate personal competence in the use of basic equipment, including tools needed for assembly of circuits, and electronic instruments needed to test and make measurements on circuits.
3. Every Level HE1 student should be able to demonstrate, without assistance, the ability to keep adequate written experimental records, and to present results clearly using tables and graphs.
4. Every Level HE1 student should be able to demonstrate the ability to apply the basics of design methodology, including application to both electronics experimental work and software design, and to use simulation as an aid to design.
5. Every Level HE1 student should be able to demonstrate, without assistance, basic ability to find and correct faults in electronic circuits. |
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| Module Content |
Laboratory exercises and experiments
Students spend six hours per week in the first-year electronics laboratory. These are supported by prior Laboratory lectures or web-based guided learning which introduces students to the key concepts and ideas associated with each experiment, and private study in the form of Laboratory Preparation work which is undertaken before each Experiment is attempted. The laboratory work is made up of exercises and experiments, including an 18 hour project undertaken in the last 3 weeks of the Spring semester. In contrast to the Autumn semester, the spring semester also introduces a significant design component. The exercises and experiments are designed to help students understand the relationship between theory, simulation and actual circuits, appreciate the difference between design expectation and actual performance, and acquire confidence in testing circuits. Attendance at laboratories is a mandatory part of each student’s engineering degree course. In part, the exercises and experiments support the wider Level 1 formal taught material; but they are also intended to provide familiarity with the use of the electronic instruments needed to test circuits and measure their electronic characteristics, to introduce students to the practicalities of circuits and circuit components, and to introduce practical techniques useful in the context of electronic design. Students.
To support student learning in the area:
Each student will be required to prepare for the exercise/experiment beforehand, and will be encouraged to analyze data as it is acquired during the experiment, to compare results with the relevant theory, and to keep an effective, reproducible record of the work undertaken. Laboratory supervisors and demonstrators will be present to maximize the learning process: students should appreciate that finishing an experiment is not as important as demonstrating clear understanding of key concepts.
Laboratory lectures
The electronics laboratory programme is accompanied by a series of "Laboratory lectures", relating to specific experiments and to general issues such as safety. It is mandatory for all students to attend these lectures. Penalties may be invoked for non-attendance. |
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
| As in ‘Module Content’ above. Formal Laboratory Lecture or web-based learning for each experiment or design brief, followed by private study, during which preparatory written work is undertaken, followed by 6 hours of practical work per week. |
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Laboratory manuals are provided.
Practical electronics texts which may be considered useful in supporting the Laboratory programme:
A practical introduction to electronic circuits by Martin Hartley Jones (3rd ed 1995) Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 472879 0 (paperback) B
The Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz & Winfield Hill (1985) Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 370957. (Hardcover) B |
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| Last Updated |
12 August 2010 |
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