ECX3233

Dear Student, The main areas we will be covering include:

Communications Information Technology

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We welcome you to our course Communications and Information Technology. In this course we are going to introduce you to the world of Computers, Communication and Information Networks.

Information Technology Evolution of computer, Generations of software and hardware, history of people associated with evolution of computers Organisation of a simple computer system, Von Neumann machines, organisation of CPU, addressing, data types, instruction formats, classification of computer architecture, hypothetical machines IO systems, terminals, modems, mouse, printers, digital and analogue I/O techniques Memory organisation, byte, word definitions, memory types, secondary memory floppy disks, hard disks, CDs Operating systems, overview of system software, development, structure of OS, functionalities of an OS, file system, file organisation, directory structure, and different operating systems Application software, word processing, spread sheets, presentation Programming, Generation of programming languages, Program structure, Structured programming top down/ bottom up design, introduction to algorithms, pseudo code Introduction to data structures, static & dynamic structures, arrays, lists, stacks Communication Measurement, Measurement of power in communication-dB, dBm, microphones, loudspeakers, psophometric weighting Modulation and demodulation, transmission of analogue information, AM, PM, FM, bandwidth requirement for communication, principles of FDM, TDM Data communication, transmission of digital information, pulse code modulation, ASK, FSK, PSK, error detection and correction Network topologies, LAN, WAN, introduction to OSI model and protocols, Internet, Internet services, email, WWW Propagation, antennas, modes of radio propagation, and some propagation phenomenon and radio waves You will be given five books (Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4 and Supplementary Reading Material). Your assignments will be sent by post and will also appear in the virtual class. You will be assigned a lab group. Labs are held in Colombo (for CL groups) Kandy (for KN groups) and at Matara (for MT group). It is essential that you choose your lab group wisely, after considering the dates for each group, as most activities are conducted for individual groups. The activity diary gives the dates of the activities. Introductory session for the Matara group will take place in Colombo on July 02nd. Continuous Learning/Assessment You need to come on five occasions for Face - to - Face sessions and assessment activities. First there is the lab introduction session. Though this session is not evaluated, the knowledge is needed and tested at the first lab.

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The first Continuous Assessment Test (CAT #1) is an open book test (OBT) of 75 minutes that test your knowledge on IT (Unit 1, Unit 2, Supplementary Material, and Lab Introduction). The Lab 1 comes next. When you come for the Lab1 a Quiz consisting of multiple choice questions (MCQs) will be given to you. The questions of this Quiz are based on Hardware section of Book1 and what you learned during the Introduction session. If you dont pass this quiz you will not be taken into the lab class. Then you will have to book a repeat date and participate in the Lab1, if you pass the Quiz. Marks will be deducted for doing Lab on repeat days. Your Assignment 1 will be evaluated during the three days of Lab 1. Be ready with it on the first day itself. Before attempting assignment 1, please do the Exercise given on number systems. Answers will be available in the virtual class after the assignment due date. The second Continuous Assessment Test (CAT #2) is an open book test (OBT) of 75 minutes that test your knowledge on Communication and Networking (Unit 3, Unit 4, and Lab Demonstration). The Lab 2 comes next. When you come for the Lab2 a Quiz consisting of multiple choice questions (MCQs) will be given to you. The questions of this Quiz are based on Networking and Communication. If you dont pass this quiz you will not be taken into the lab class. Then you will have to book a repeat date and participate in the Lab2, if you pass the Quiz. If you dont pass the quiz on the date allocated for you, you will have to book a repeat date and participate in the Lab1 after passing the Quiz. Marks will be deducted for doing Lab on repeat days. Your Assignment 2 will be evaluated during the two days of Lab 2. Be ready with it on the first day itself. You may only take part in labs assigned to the group of your choice. You may come before your assigned date, or within a week of the start of your group, but will be penalised accordingly. But we are unable to accommodate those who come later. So plan ahead accordingly! The booking of repeat lab groups will only be allowed after the student takes part in the quiz!! There will be only one repeat attempt per student. You are expected to present your assignment on the day allocated to your group. Assignments presented on repeat days will be considered repeat assignments, and will be given less marks. Eligibility criterion: Average of the best 5 of 6 activities > 40% (2 TMAs, 2 CATs, 2 Labs) You also have to average at least 40 marks for the 2 labs. Final Examination: After gaining eligibility, you may sit the Final Examination, an essay type paper of 3 hours. This is a closed book type test. The dates for the above activities and other contact information refer your copy of the Activity Diary 2012 - 2013. Any changes to these dates will be posted at the virtual class. You should visit the virtual class weekly. All the latest news, changes, updates, etc. will be posted there. Though not compulsory, the virtual class will provide you with lots of information and interactivity opportunities, so do visit it regularly. The virtual class will be hosted on NODES Moodle, and access will be given at the end of the registration period.

Course- coordinator for ECX3233

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