Engineering Science Calendar Revisions: 2006/7

Paul Ho, Chair of Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, School of Engineering Science

Nov 25, 2005

1. Name Change and Pre-requisite Change for ENSC 428-4

Proposal:


Current

Proposed


ENSC 428-4


Data Communications



Digital Communications



Prerequisite: ENSC 327 and ENSC 351 or 385.



Prerequisite: ENSC 327

Rationale:

The course was originally called “data communication” because it included material on protocols and performance analysis, as well as on signals and detection.  Since then, Computing Science added a course on data communications, and Engineering Science added ENSC 427-4 Communication Networks. The material on protocols and performance analysis was then removed from ENSC 428, and the signal detection material expanded. For clarity, ENSC 428 is proposed to be named what it is: “digital communications.”

The original prerequisites included ENSC 351-4 Real-Time and Embedded Systems, or ENSC 385 (a defunct course equivalent to ENSC 351). They provided additional background for the data communication part of ENSC 428, such as driver architecture, real time implementation communication protocols. With the removal of data communication from ENSC 428, those prerequisites are no longer necessary.


2. Name Change for ENSC 429-4

Proposal:


Current

Proposed


ENSC 429-4


Discrete Time Systems



Digital Signal Processing

Rationale:

The founding Director of Engineering Science, Don George, gave the course its current name to highlight the breadth and engineering aspects of the material. Since then, the course has de facto become a course in digital signal processing, one that builds on a prerequisite foundation of ENSC 380-3 Linear Systems and ENSC 327-4 Communication Systems. For clarity - so readers of the calendar will know what the course is about – we propose to change the name to ENSC 429-4 Digital Signal Processing.