Telecommunication Engineering

Telecommunication Engineering Arjan Meijerink TE Presentation – May 29, 2012

Education at the UT – new curriculum ; tasks of PhDs; tasks of supervisors Mark Bentum

Assessment of EE curriculum 2010 Good quality (BSc/MSc) But All EE curricula failed in effectiveness Possibly talent is lost… The reaction on effectiveness and duration is rather phlegmatic In coming years serious efforts are expected to improve the success !!

Causes of the delay Some courses might ask too much Many assignments take substantionally longer time than scheduled Decision for the fitting master program causes delays Main point: student have priorities of their own choice

Problems in the assignments We observe the following: Huge delays in the projects - often ~1 year. Responsibilities are not always clear Poor background in writing … …and in structuring research

Conclusions Tell you about the new Electrical Engineering curriculum and the rational behind it. Show you that the duration of the assignment is one of the main problems. This is also the case for PhD projects. Show you the structure of assignments. Tell you about a career in science. Give you some tips and expectations Open issues: Howtowrite a paper/report/thesis How tostructure research

Telecommunication Engineering in Some practical hints for preparingreports, papers and presentations Arjan Meijerink TE Presentation – May 29, 2012

Outline 1. Motivation 2. Proficient communication 3. Some myths & facts about writing 4. Preparation 5. The actual writing 6. Revision 7. Other forms of communication 8. Conclusion

Outline (9) 1. Motivation 2. Proficient communication 3. Some myths & facts about writing 4. Preparation 5. The actual writing 6. Revision 7. Other forms of communication 8. Conclusion

2. Proficient communication Communication should be • effective • efficient • acceptable and this is determined by factors such as • goal • audience • boundary conditions e.g. knowledge transfer, seeking feedback, building reputation, convincing (!), entertainment relation? knowledge? attitude/opinion?culture? goals? (!) i.e. form (written/oral), length, house style, tools, time for preparation, etc.

3. Some myths & facts about writing (1) Myth Writing is a matter of • talent • personal taste • inspiration • choosing the proper words and sentences • following a procedure with a predefined order • ‘first time right’

3. Some myths & facts about writing (2) Facts • Writing is like solving a problem • There are good and bad approaches • Being a proficient writer is mostly a matter of attitude • The writing process consists of subprocesses: • planning • data collection and ordering • text formulation and formatting • revising • Good writers spend relatively much time on planning, and revise more often and more thoroughly

3. Some myths & facts about writing (3) • smugness • rigidity • resistance against rational and systematic approach • disregard of audience • postponing • exaggerated perfection • overcompletenes • self-criticism • professionalism • reflection • systematics • empathy • inner dialog with reader • go ahead! • revision • satisfaction with imperfect • selectivity and focus

4. Preparation (1) Task orientation • Goal? main purpose/message? limitations? • Readers? goals? knowledge?shadow readers? • Boundary conditions: • on the product? format, length, illustrations? • on the proces? deadline(s), sources, help, tools? Examples: • Paper in IEEE Transactions • Article in Scintilla’s magazine “De Vonk” • Project proposal for STW

4. Preparation (2) Determining contents and order • What is the main question to be answered? • How to organize this in subquestions? • Common in engineering science: problem structure • What is the problem to be solved? goal/question • Why is it a problem? motivation/relevance • What is the cause? technical background/analysis • What is the solution? conclusion/answer • What is the proper detail level? Collecting data: • Literature • Research results

5. The actual writing (1) (19) Outline • Title • Authors • Division in chapters, (sub)sections, (sub)paragraphs • Abstract/summary • References • Appendices • Writing style & layout • Acronyms & symbols • Figures & tables • Equations

5. The actual writing (2) Title purposes: • structuring • theme • keywords • type of text • motivating possible approach: title – subtitle e.g. review, comparison, analysis, … be creative…

Telecommunication Engineering in Some practical hints for preparingreports, papers and presentations Arjan Meijerink TE Presentation – May 29, 2012

5. The actual writing (3) Authors • anybody who had a scientific contribution to content,i.e. novel technical idea, reasoning, approach, … i.e. not for: • technical assistance/measurement/production • explaining background material • editorial assistance Order? • often: student(s), advisor(s), …, supervisor All authors are responsible for contents acknowledgment including author list!

5. The actual writing (4) Division in chapters, (sub)sections, (sub)paragraphs (1) 1. Introduction • Opening • Scope: goal/question • Outline Not: • Personal background • Acknowledgment • Technical details Wide field Funnel opening Novelty? Descriptive! Logical? Related work?  Motivation! Topic Preface/epilogue/footnote Chapter/Section 2 !

5. The actual writing (5) Division in chapters, (sub)sections, (sub)paragraphs (2) x. Conclusion(s) (and recommendations) • Goal achieved? • or: answer to research question • Future perspective, e.g. • applications • relation to future work • call to action Not: summary Remaining chapters/sections: support of conclusion Connect to introduction! Abstract !

5. The actual writing (6) Division in chapters, (sub)sections, (sub)paragraphs (3) Example 1: 1. Introduction 2. Technical background/analysis 3. Research approach 4. Results 5. Conclusions Example 2: 1. Introduction 2. Problem analysis 3. Problem 1 4. Problem 2 5. Problem 3 6. Overall conclusion Conventional! Sections as in Example 1 Balance overview/logic vs. overkill vs. esthetics

5. The actual writing (7) Abstract/summary • Summary of context, scope, support, conclusion • Typically • 1–2 pages, ~1 paragraph/chapter (report) • 1 paragraph, 1–3 lines/section (paper) So distinguish between: • Preface: personal notes etc. outside scope • Introduction: context, scope, outline • Conclusion: evaluation/answer • Abstract: context, scope, support, conclusion

5. The actual writing (8) (27) References • Not: list of consulted or recommended material • Purpose: honor / support / context • Form: quote / summary / citation • Descriptive & traceable (complete!) • In order of citation refer! [4] http://www.utwente.nl/ewi/te/ Better: [4] Web site of the Telecommunication Engineering Group at the University of Twente, http://www.utwente.nl/ewi/te/.

5. The actual writing (9) Appendices Anything that is relevant but not essential for understanding • e.g. raw data, mathematical proof, source code or at least not for every reader • e.g. summary background knowledge refer!

5. The actual writing (10) Writing style & layout • be specific and precise • be punctual (spelling & layout) • be consistent • follow conventions Acronyms & symbols • Introduced once, upon first occurrence • Exception: abstract • Abbreviated words not capitalized. Exception: names • The probability density function (PDF) is given by […]. From this PDF it follows that …

5. The actual writing (11) Figures & tables • Purpose: illustration, support, attraction, esthetics • Should explain (not be explained) • Should not contain more information than needed e.g. graphs • Independent var. on x axis; dependent var. on y axis • Clearly define variables and units • Scales: illustrative and consistent refer!

(31) What could be improved? dashed lines do not make sense… small… ? Figure 5.3: Measurement of the RC filter. The measurement matches well with the theory. in text!

(32) Better.. Figure 5.3: Theoretical and measured output voltage of the RC filter as a function of time

5. The actual writing (11) Figures & tables • Purpose: illustration, support, attraction, esthetics • Should explain (not be explained) • Should not contain more information than needed e.g. graphs • Independent var. on x axis; dependent var. on y axis • Clearly define variables and units • Scales: illustrative and consistent Captions • Below figure or above table • Should only describe what is there (no interpretation!) refer!

5. The actual writing (12) Equations • are part of the sentence • should be written in well-defined symbols The voltage is given by […], in which … italic Roman (not italic) • variables x, V • function names f(x) • indices ai • operators/parentheses + > (.) • common functionscos(x) • words/acronyms Vout(t) • numbers and units 1 cm • vectors: bold lowercase v • matrices: bold uppercase M

6. Revision • Write in rounds: first rough contents, then details • Proofread • Is the main question answered? • Are order and detail level appropriate? • Is everything consistent? • Are boundary conditions met? • … (Make notes during writing!) • Reconsider focus/structure/audience Kill your darlings! • Let others (co-authors?) review Instruct them

7. Other forms of communication Presentations Main difference with report/paper? • perception by audience! i.e. more effort required on: • focus • motivation • completeness Main difference oral/poster presentation? Other examples E-mails, phonecalls, meetings, … • clear presentation • stressing important things • …

8. Conclusion Proper writing is mainly a matter of being aware of your goal and having the right attitude …just like doing the actual research itself (…and many other things you do in life). Good luck writing …and advising others how to do it!

Telecommunication Engineering