EE 4349 Syllabus

Class Web Site: http://www-ee.uta.edu/online/gibbs/EE4349

Project Assignment:

The students will continue with and complete projects assigned during EE4340. If students were not assigned projects during EE4340 in the previous semester they will bid for and be assigned to projects and teams immediately after the first class period.

Grading

The project grade will be the sum of the scores given for the Project Deliverables, the Project Demonstration, the Project Report, and Project Management processes.

The Project Deliverable: This is the outcome of your work. It will be scored indirectly, based on the Project Report and the Project Presentation. The grade assigned, however, will receive a grade of “A” only if the Deliverable fully meets the Design Specifications.

The Project Plan: The Project Plan should be an enhanced/updated version of the plan presented in EE4340. If a Project Plan was not completed last semester in EE43400, it should be created now. The Project Plan should include the test procedure that will be used to demonstrate that the project performs as intended. Contribution toward final grade: 10%

The Project Report: The Project Report will be submitted when the project is presented in class. It should contain the following information:

The Body of the report should contain:

· Description of the device

· The Design Specifications to which the project was built

· Test procedures used to demonstrate that the project met design specifications. The results of the tests should also be included here.

· A Theory of Operation describing in detail how the device works

The Appendix should contain

· Schematic diagram (complete except for subassemblies, such as a microprocessor board, integrated into your design)

· Software code listing for all code developed as part of the project

· A Parts Layout Diagram for each circuit board, linked to the schematic diagram

· A Detailed Parts List

· A Table showing all costs incurred in the design and construction of the project

· An explanation of alternatives considered during the design and construction stages of the project

· A copy of the Project Plan, including any modifications made as the semester progressed

· A Detailed description of each person’s unique contribution to the team

· Summary of the learning accomplished as a result of performing this project

· A detailed Bibliography of all sources reviewed in the design of the project

· A CD containing the complete Project Report and any other deliverables created during the semester.

Contribution of the Project Report to final grade: 30%

The Project Demonstration is the formal presentation of the project. The presentation should be built around tests demonstrating that the device(s) met design specifications. The presentation should not include details related to the design process. The Project Demonstration will take place during the final week of the class. Contribution toward final grade: 30%

Project Poster: Each team will present a poster showing demonstrating high points relative to their project at the time they deliver their presentation. The poster should be designed according to the template given on the EE4349 home page.

Project Management processes: Submitting the Project Plan, complete and on schedule will contribute one half of this score. The other half will be based on the weekly reports. Details are provided below under Project Planning and Weekly Reporting. Contribution toward final grade: 20%

Engineer’s Notebook: In keeping with standard industry practice, each student must keep a formal Engineer’s Notebook during the execution of this project. The volume must be bound so that pages cannot be removed. All work performed on the project should be documented in the Notebook. All entries must be dated. The Notebook must be kept starting the second time the class meets. Notebooks may be checked at any time. If it is not in use points may be docked from the Notebook grade. Contribution toward final grade: 10%.

Semester grades will be assigned using the following scale:

90% -100%	A
80% - 89%	B
70% - 79%	C
60% - 69%	D
0% - 59%	F

If a student’s grade for any of the evaluated course elements is less than 50% of its allocated value, the student will receive a letter grade of D for the class.

Participating in this class constitutes an agreement that the project will be completed during the semester. If for any reason, the project is not completed, the student will receive a grade of Incomplete. Students will have one semester to complete their work. The highest grade that will be assigned when clearing an incomplete is a C.

Important Dates:

Event	Schedule	Basis for Evaluation
Project Plan	September 2	Specific design specifications, Block Diagram, Task breakdown and assignment
Design Review 1	September 9	Project Plan, Task Assignment, and Test Procedure
Design Review 2	September 23	Schematics and simulation results
Design Review 3	October 21	Working prototype of complete design
Circuit Board Layout	November 16	Submit via email. Due by 12:00 noon.
Design Review 4	November 25	Working circuits on Printed Circuit Boards ready to package. Functional software.
Presentation	December 2	Project Deliverable with Report
Poster	December 2	Poster and Project Deliverable

Design Constraints:

The device(s) must be designed and constructed by the team. Commercial products may not be purchased and reverse engineered, but reference to texts and outside sources is highly encouraged. This design constraint against reverse engineering also applies to sub-assemblies within the project.

Similarly, the design must be built using discrete components. Kits may not be purchased and integrated into the design. The purchase of individual IC chips to perform desired functions is within the scope of the project. As needed, subassemblies such as microprocessor development boards may be purchased and integrated into the project.

Project Planning

Each team will select a team leader who will coordinate the team’s activities. The team leader will be responsible for liaison between the team and the faculty member. As such, the team leader is responsible to submit the Weekly Report.

Each team is responsible to break the project down into individual tasks, assign members to each task, plan a project schedule that takes into account all tasks and ensures completion by the assigned date. A GANTT chart relating tasks (including assigned individual) and schedule should be included in the Project Plan.

The Project Plan must be turned in at the 4^th class meeting. A paper copy will be due at the beginning of the class period. An electronic copy should be sent to the Instructor and to the GTA.

Weekly reporting

An email should be sent to the Instructor and to the GTA before 8:00 a.m. each Monday morning. It should address the work performed on or before the previous Saturday night at midnight, and should contain the following information:

· A single statement telling whether the project is on schedule, ahead of schedule, or behind schedule. If ahead or behind schedule, tell by how many days.

· Time expended per person

· Cumulative time per person

· Total team time invested this week

· Total time invested to date

· A brief description of work accomplished, difficulties encountered, and other outstanding events that may have occurred during the previous week. This may be in bullet form, and should not require more than a single

A MS Excel file shall be maintained by the team leader that calculates each of the time measurements listed above. An updated version of the spreadsheet should be attached to the weekly email. The template for this spreadsheet may be downloaded from the class website.

The first status report is due electronically by 8:00 a.m. the Monday after the Project Plan is submitted.

Parts Ordering

Parts needed for projects may be ordered using the online parts ordering form (click here for form). The form is designed for electronic submission. As a result, hand-written forms will not be accepted. Students are responsible to determine whether the parts are locally stocked by UTA or need to be obtained from an outside vendor before submitting the parts order.

If you are working on an industry sponsored project, or a project sponsored by a professor that is related to his research, then the sponsor will be expected to provide needed parts. Personal money spent for parts will not be reimbursed without prior written approval.

Americans with Disabilities Act

The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112 ¾ The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

Faculty members are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.

Academic Dishonesty

It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.

"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22).

The application of this policy to EE 4349 will take two dimensions. The first is that your design must represent the work of your team, and cannot be taken directly from other sources, whether published in book, magazine, or on the internet. The second is that each team must work independently of all other teams, and may neither receive nor give design assistance to a member of another team.

Catalog Data

Instructor:

GTA: