EGB242 Signal Analysis

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2025, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

Signal processing engineers have knowledge of engineering methodologies, and possess problem solving, communication, leadership and project management skills. They design, model, and analyze systems, and use a wide range of technologies and applications, including household appliances, communications systems, modern control, circuit design, biomedical engineering, and speech processing. They help transform society and enhance the quality of life.

This unit will introduce you to the foundations of signal and system analysis in the time and frequency domains. You will learn and work individually and with peers to apply engineering and mathematical concepts and use programming techniques, to solve contextualized practical problems employing Fourier and Laplace analysis, LTI systems, filtering, and System modelling.

This unit will draw on your knowledge and skills from EGB120 and MZB127, and prepare you for units in telecommunications, signal processing and control.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Reflect on your experience in developing professional competency, in a signal analysis project, considering relevant risk, sustainability and sociocultural issues, at an introductory level
2. Compose a technical report of an electrical engineering project including figures, tables, diagrams and code snippets, at a developed level
3. Perform as a team member to complete a signal analysis engineering study, at an introductory level
4. Analyse and apply the theory and concepts of time and frequency domain signal analysis, using relevant mathematical and computing techniques and packages such as Matlab, at a developed level
5. Analyse continuous-time signals and model systems in time and frequency domains using Fourier and Laplace analysis of signals and linear systems, at a developed level.

Content

Learning Approaches

Lectures will provide the knowledge base required for this unit including real examples and applications. This will be supported within tutorials, enabling the application of the theory described in lectures. Tutorial sessions will involve problem-solving tasks of increasing complexity to understand, integrate and apply mathematical concepts to signals and systems.

In this unit you can expect to experience the following timetabled activities:

• Formal lectures from experienced professional engineers to give you insight into professional engineering and mathematical knowledge, skills and attributes,
• Weekly tutorials, applying the lecture materials of engineering and mathematical concepts to problem solving tasks, and Matlab coding exercises on authentic tasks.

To complement timetabled activities, you will be provided with videos of problem solutions and Matlab exercises.

You are expected to:

• Weekly problem-solving tasks: you are expected to attempt these on your own, ahead of your tutorials, assisted by the provided video solutions,
• Weekly Matlab tasks: you are expected to attempt these your own, ahead of your tutorials, assisted by the provided full video solutions,
• Weekly In-class challenge problem-solving and Matlab tasks: you are expected to attempt these on your own, ahead of your tutorials,
• In-class quizzes: you are expected to actively participate in attempting the weekly problem-solving and coding tasks, to help you formatively assess your learning, and provide you with feedback on overall-class performance,
• Matlab Grader exercises: you are expected to attempt these on your own, to formatively assess your own conceptual understanding.

In order to demonstrate individual competency in ULO5, students must achieve 40% in the examination and resubmission is not permitted.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive formative oral feedback on your progress in this unit during tutorials and discussions throughout the semester. You will receive written feedback on the unit's problem solving tasks as well as the tutorial and Matlab work. Formative practice and feedback on exam related concepts will also be covered in lectures and tutorials. Additional feedback on a group or individual basis will also be available through appointment with a member of the teaching team.

Assessment

Overview

Assessment in the unit consists of a series of problem-solving tasks throughout the semester of increasing complexity involving signal processing systems and related components. This is reinforced with Matlab exercises to relate theory to practice and a final exam covering all major concepts and learning across the unit.

In order to demonstrate individual competency in ULO5, students must achieve 40% in the examination and resubmission is not permitted.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Problem solving assignment

You will design and analyse solutions to problems applying the theoretical concepts and present your results in a report. The assignment can include hand-written solutions. The design and analysis will rely on the use of Matlab.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Group assignment

You will design and analyse solutions to a significant problem and present your results in a report. The design and analysis will rely on the use of Matlab.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Assessment: Examination (invigilated)

This tests all of the major concepts covered in the unit including principles, problem-solving, and analysis of signals, systems, and transforms.

“On-Campus invigilated Exam. If campus access is restricted at the time of the central examination period/due date, an alternative, which may be a timed online assessment, will be offered. Individual students whose circumstances prevent their attendance on campus will be provided with an alternative assessment approach.”

Threshold Assessment:

To pass EGB242 you are required to achieve at least 40% of the available marks in the final exam. This is to ensure you have a demonstrated understanding of the key concepts of the learning outcomes. This understanding is essential for future units in signal processing, telecommunications and control. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Reference book(s)

Title: Control Systems Engineering, Eighth Edition

Author: Nise, Norman S.,

Publisher: Hoboken, NJ : Wiley.

Year: 2019.

Title: Discrete Time Signal Processing, Third Edition

Author: Oppenheim, Alan V., 1937-; Schafer, Ronald W.,

Publisher: Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Year: 2010.

Title: Signals and systems using MATLAB, Second edition.

Author: Chaparro, Luis F.

Publisher: Oxford, UK; Waltham, MA: Academic Press

Year: 2015

Other

QUT Canvas web site for EGB242.

Risk Assessment Statement

You will undertake lectures and tutorials in the traditional classrooms and lecture theaters. As such,
there are no extraordinary workplace health and safety issues associated with these components of
the unit.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer

1: Knowledge and Skill Base

1. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Examination (invigilated)
2. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Examination (invigilated)
3. 
   Relates to: Group assignment, Examination (invigilated)
4. 
   Relates to: Group assignment, Examination (invigilated)
5. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
6. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment

2: Engineering Application Ability

1. 
   Relates to: Group assignment, Examination (invigilated)
2. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
3. 
   Relates to: Group assignment

3: Professional and Personal Attributes

1. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
2. 
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
3. 
   Relates to: Group assignment
4. 
   Relates to: Group assignment
5. 
   Relates to: Group assignment

Course Learning Outcomes

EN01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Make decisions ethically within the social, cultural, and organisational contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
2. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
3. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Group assignment
4. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Examination (invigilated)
5. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Group assignment, Examination (invigilated)

EV01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Make decisions ethically within the social, cultural, and organisational contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
2. Engage stakeholders professionally and communicate the outcomes of your work effectively to expert and non-expert audiences using appropriate modes.
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Group assignment
3. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Group assignment
4. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Problem solving assignment, Examination (invigilated)
5. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: Group assignment, Examination (invigilated)