ECE 331 Introduction to Random Signal Analysis and Statistics, Fall 2009

stochastic process examples (mathematica file)

• Instructor: Ian Dobson, 2564 Engineering Hall


• TA: Prachi Bhadekar, TAemail, B632 Engineering Hall
  Office Hours: 
  Thursday -- 10am-noon
  Friday -- 1-3 pm
  
  
• Discussion session: Thursday 5:30 - 7:00 pm, 3349 Engineering Hall.
  
  
• Professor Office hours: Wednesday 1:00-3:00 pm and just after each class, or by appointment (usually in afternoons). e-mail (dobson@engr.wisc.edu) is effective for short questions. Please use the professor office hours for questions about the course material or general help with the course. Most administrative matters can be dealt with by e-mail. I am NEVER available before class because I need to prepare for the class lecture. Please see Ian in person if you are having ANY difficulties with the course (do NOT wait until just before the exams).


• Homework : There will be regular homework which is a very important part of the learning in the course. Each homework will receive an overall grade as explained below. It is very important to note that the exams will be based on the homework questions. Students are encouraged to work together in groups to solve the homework problems. However, each student must hand in their own work. Students are expected to attempt all homework problems and hand their efforts in. Homework solutions will not be systematically published, but help is available from the TA and the professor. Students are responsible for creating their own portfolio of homework solutions that they can use to study for the exams.  One aspect is that students should work to understand homework well enough that they are confident that their solutions are correct. Please note that being able to confirm by yourself that your solution to an engineering problem is correct is an essential skill in industry.  Success in the course correlates well with consistent and thoughtful effort on the homeworks throughout the course.  


• Exams : The exams will be closed book written exams intended to assess whether students have mastered the material in the homeworks and the course. There will be a quiz and a midterm and a final. The quiz will be scheduled for a suitable date in class. The midterm will be held in class on a date most suitable for most students. The final is at 2:45pm to 4:45 pm Wednesday December 23. You must send email or a note to Ian or drop by his office in the first two weeks of class if there is ANY chance of religious or other conflicts with these exam times or ANY potential questions or ANY potential issues or concerns about the exams. Exams are designed for the purpose of assessment only and exam papers will not be handed back to students. That is, learning is the focus of the course and the homeworks, but is not an objective for the exams.  Students may choose to look at their exam papers for a limited period after the exam by coming to professor office hours.  
  
  
• Class attendance : Students are expected either to attend every class lecture or, in exceptional circumstances, to make arrangements with other students to obtain and study a copy of the lecture notes.   It is the student's responsibility to obtain the necessary exposure to the material presented in class.  Attendance at the class discussion session is strongly encouraged.
  


• Grading: The grade for the class will be based on performance in the exams (quiz ~15%, midterm ~25%, final ~30%) and overall effort and attainment on the homework (30%).  The grades will NOT be curved. For the exams I will set standards for the main changes in letter grade before grading the exams. (I may make minor adjustments to these after grading the exam to position the changes in letter grade at natural breaks in the scores.) One intention of this grading scheme is that students compete against my standards in the course instead of against each other. I want to encourage students to work together and learn from each other. Working together in groups is encouraged, but you must hand in an individual paper. Each homework will receive a grade of alpha, beta, gamma or zero reflecting overall effort and attainment. Individual questions do not receive a separate grade, but feedback on the answers will be given to the extent possible according to the time and resources made available for this by the ECE department.
  
  
• Religous or other conflicts or potential issues with class activities or exams: Send email or a note to Ian or drop by his office in the first two weeks of class if there is ANY chance of religious or other conflicts with any class activities that may be scheduled during the semester or ANY potential questions or ANY potential issues or concerns about the exams.


• Ethics : The highest standards apply. In particular, instructions must be followed meticulously during exams to ensure equal conditions for all students.

Text : Probability and Stochastic Processes; A friendly introduction for electrical and computer engineers, RD Yates and DJ Goodman, John Wiley 2004, ISBN  0471272140.   WE ARE USING THE SECOND EDITION OF THIS TEXT

last updated November 17 2009