SYLLABUS

Contact Information:

Time Tuesday: 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (Classroom Lectures)
Tuesday: 2:15 PM - 3:30 PM (Guest Lectures)
Place Lecture: 203 Simrall;
Guest Lectures: George Eastman Auditorium (Swalm)
Meetings: Simrall 206
Labs: Anywhere and Everywhere
Instructor Joseph Picone
Office: 413 Simrall
Office Hours: 9-10 MWF (others by appt.)
Email: picone@cavs.msstate.edu
Class Alias ece_4512@cavs.msstate.edu
URL http://www.cavs.msstate.edu/research/isip/publications/courses/ece_4512
Required Textbook(s) G. Voland, Engineering By Design, Addison-Wesley, 1999, ISBN 0-20-14985-10.
Prerequisite Credit or registration in an ECE technical elective; approval of a project proposal by your advisor.
Reference Textbook(s) P. Horowitz and W. Hill, The Art of Electronics, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1994, ISBN: 0-521-37095-7.

D.C. Hanselman and B.L. Littlefield, Mastering MATLAB: A Comprehensive Tutorial and Reference, 1/e,, Prentice-Hall, 1996, 542 pp., ISBN: 0-13-191594-0.

Grading Policies:

Grades are calculated using the following weights:

  Advisor Evaluation 25%
  Peer Review 25%
  Design Document 10%
  Preliminary Design Review 10%
  Design Review 10%
  Web Site 10%
  Guest Lecture Attendance 10%

In order that each team member be motivated to participate fully in the team, teams are allowed to vote members out of the group (we were inspired by the television series "Survivor") at the end of semester. For the member voted out, this might mean you have to retake this course, so you need to work to avoid this at all costs. More about this policy will be explained as the course unfolds.

I would thoroughly enjoy assigning letter grades according to the following distribution:

A
100 - 90
B
89 - 80
C
79 - 70
D
69 - 60
See you next semester
Below 60

Of course, if I was able to grade according to this distribution, it would be a first for a "Picone class."

Description:

The goal of our two semester sequence is to provide you with a realistic design experience, and teach you the tools and methodologies that can help you be successful at this endeavor. To be considered for a passing grade in this portion of the class, your design review must convince the committee this project is ready for the fabrication stage (the following course in the two-course sequence). You also must convince the committee that you have done a sufficient amount of simulation of your system. Demonstration of a fully functional prototype is a critical requirement for passing this portion of the course.

The design document is a comprehensive description of the entire project including: requirements, test specification, design, and test certification. It presents simulation data demonstrating that your design is feasible, and addresses most of the points listed on the cover page of the course web site.

The design document must clearly state which portions of the team project were executed by which members. Each member is expected to contribute a section describing their contributions. Individual grades for each member will be assigned based on the contributions described in these sections. Of the 10% allocated to this portion of the grade, 7.5% will come from your individual contribution, and 2.5% from the overall grade on the document.

The preliminary design review should be a dry-run of the final presentation. It is a 15-minute presentation by one team member that reviews project as you expect it to progress through the end of this semester. At this presentation, any deficiencies that are documented must be rectified in your final design review.

The design review is the big enchilada. At this review you will present a hardware prototype of your system. You must address all design deficiencies noted in your preliminary review, and review all aspects of the project (with technical details supporting your claims). It is also a 15-minute presentation. At the time of the design review, a project web site must be available containing all information about the project, including the documents described above and the design review presentation.

Team members will also submit a written evaluation of their fellow team members. This will include a chance to recommend individual grades for their team members, and comment on each member's contribution to the project. All claims of mutiny, insurgency, poor performance, etc., must be documented in sufficient detail to be given consideration. Team leaders will participate in a performance review conducted by the instructor during finals week. Faculty advisors will submit evaluations of each team member as well.

Schedule:

Class
Date
Topic(s)
1
08/23
Organization and Introductions
2
08/28
The Design Cycle
3
09/04
M. Thornton and J. Harrington, Mississippi Technology Alliance
4
09/11
J. Waggoner, Waggoner Consulting
5
09/18
B. Mounger, SunCom
6
09/25
Project Meetings
7
10/02
F. Myers, Cooper Energy Services
8
10/09
Preliminary Design Review
9
10/16
J. Lowery, Eastman Chemical
10
10/23
B. Yates, Yates Construction
11
10/30
V. Carron, Finnegon, Henderson Law Firm
12
11/06
S. Lee, Infinity Capital
13
11/13
Project Meetings
14
11/20
Guest Lecture #9
15
11/27
Design Review
16
12/04
Project Deliverables


Deliverables:

Item
Date
Description
1
08/28
Web Site (Preliminary)
2
09/04
Design Document: Problem Statement and Requirements
3
09/25
Preliminary Design Review: Presentation
4
10/09
Preliminary Design Review
5
10/23
Design Document: Test Certification
6
10/30
Design Document: Design
7
11/13
Design Review: Presentation
8
11/27
Design Review
9
12/04
Web Site