Struggling with Telecom Class as a First Semester EE Undergrad?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the challenges faced by a first-semester Electrical Engineering (EE) undergraduate student in a telecommunications class. Participants explore the appropriateness of the course's placement in the curriculum, the perceived need for prerequisites, and the difficulties encountered with the course material and lab work.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty with the telecommunications class, questioning the lack of prerequisites and the fast pace of the course.
  • Concerns are raised about the lecturer's approach of jumping between topics, making it hard to follow the material.
  • The participant notes a lack of prior knowledge in electronics, which complicates understanding lab work involving circuit simulation software.
  • Another participant suggests that electricity and magnetism are not strictly necessary for circuits, proposing that knowledge of Kirchhoff's laws and some mathematics may suffice for communications.
  • Recommendations are made for using Schaum's outline series for problem-solving strategies and review in Electrical Engineering.
  • A request for the syllabus is made, and a link to the syllabus is provided by another participant.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the challenges faced in the telecommunications course, but there are differing views on the necessity of prior knowledge in electricity and magnetism for success in the class.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects a range of experiences and opinions regarding course prerequisites and the structure of the telecommunications class, highlighting the variability in educational approaches and student preparedness.

ahmadmz
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This is my first semester as a EE undergrad and I'm having difficulty with my telecom class.

These are my current classes:
Physics
Calculus
Intro to C Programming
Electronics and telecommunications.

Everything else is fine. For telecom, I don't know why they are making us do it in the first sem. As far as I can see, we need some prerequisites in order to understand the subject. The pace is fast and unlike my other subjects, the lecturer jumps from topic to topic. I tried to read some books, but the material is about 200 pages for the two or three lectures he covered.

In our lab, we have to work with a circuit simulation software and build some circuits as projects. I have never done electronics, so do understand what am I doing.

Isn't electricity and magnetism / electronics supposed to come before this? Problem is that I don't have a clue where to start. I'm already behind and need some help getting started.

Btw this is an Australian university in Malaysia.
 
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ahmadmz said:
This is my first semester as a EE undergrad and I'm having difficulty with my telecom class.

These are my current classes:
Physics
Calculus
Intro to C Programming
Electronics and telecommunications.

Everything else is fine. For telecom, I don't know why they are making us do it in the first sem. As far as I can see, we need some prerequisites in order to understand the subject. The pace is fast and unlike my other subjects, the lecturer jumps from topic to topic. I tried to read some books, but the material is about 200 pages for the two or three lectures he covered.

In our lab, we have to work with a circuit simulation software and build some circuits as projects. I have never done electronics, so do understand what am I doing.

Isn't electricity and magnetism / electronics supposed to come before this? Problem is that I don't have a clue where to start. I'm already behind and need some help getting started.

Btw this is an Australian university in Malaysia.

You technically don't even need E&M to do circuits, the only thing you really need is Kirchoff's circuit laws; if you've had some math (ie up to Calc 2 and differential equations) that's about all you need for communications as well. The Math is probably a good place to start, the Schaum's outline series of books for Electrical Engineering are good book for problem solving strategies and review.
 
Can you provide the syllabus for that lecture ?
 

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