This class has run successfully for two years as a remote course. We redesigned the material and delivery for the pandemic and the formula that we’ve come up with works really, really well. So, while this course is officially an in-person course for 2022, there are no in-person tests, nor is there a requirement to come to class in person.
Again: no tests — in person or otherwise.
You are expected to do all the activities that are posted on eClass. Many are asynchronous, connected to videos already posted on my YouTube channel, and are only due at the end of the semester, on the last day of class before the official exam period. Others must be done before a weekly deadline — these are typically the ones associated with the weekly labs and have deadlines to ensure that you are prepared for the labs. It is up to you to keep up with the material and to keep track of deadlines. Read the descriptions on eClass carefully and follow the “completion tracker” bar.
All synchronous lab activities require you to have access to a personal computer and a copy of the Matlab programming application. The labs have been scheduled to run in regular classrooms, which means that no computer will be provided to you. You need to bring your own computer with you, or you need to use a computer in a facility that you arrange yourself and log in remotely to a Zoom session hosted by a teaching assistant.
In the previous two years, we’ve had a lot of success with students learning during remote lab sessions. Details about how the labs will run will be discussed with you once the semester has started.
You don’t need to wait until the start of the semester to get the lab kit for this course from the Bookstore: EECS 1011 Course Supplies Kit and the multimeter. If you already own a basic multimeter (volts, amps, ohms) you don’t need to buy this one. If you are overseas and are going to be starting the semester late, you can begin by using a locally-sourced Arduino board (UNO, etc.) but please note that the lab activities in both EECS 1011 and this Winter’s EECS 1021 course use features from the official kit that are difficult for students to source themselves. The expectation is that you will be using the official kit throughout the year and any failure to account for differences between an ad-hoc solution and the official kit will be on the student. The cost of the equipment for this course is typical of what a student would spend on a textbook and you get to distribute it over up to three courses (EECS 1011, 1021 and 2021).
Note that the textbook, by Dr. Stormy Attaway, is available for free from the YorkU library.
I’ll post updates here up until the time that the eClass page becomes available.
Welcome on board everyone!
James Smith, PhD, P.Eng.
Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Lassonde School of Engineering, York University
James Andrew Smith is a Professional Engineer and Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of York University’s Lassonde School, with degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta and McGill University. Previously a program director in biomedical engineering, his research background spans robotics, locomotion, human birth and engineering education. While on sabbatical in 2018-19 with his wife and kids he lived in Strasbourg, France and he taught at the INSA Strasbourg and Hochschule Karlsruhe and wrote about his personal and professional perspectives. James is a proponent of using social media to advocate for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion as well as evidence-based applications of research in the public sphere. You can find him on Twitter. Originally from Québec City, he now lives in Toronto, Canada.