From seppo@hotmail.com Sat Mar 17 16:03:52 2001 Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 11:01:44 +0200 From: Seppo Uusitupa To: L.L. Subject: Re: S-38.105 Exam Hi! Nice to see that you have been able to express your thoughts via email. I'm sorry for delayed answer due to many other things to do during working days. But now it's Saturday and free time. The S-38.105 is a real mass course having now some 720 enrolled students. Last year we had a little bit over 400. And the resources (personnel, hours per day, days per week and even salaries) are the same! Thus we have even less time per student and not very personal services could be expected, I suppose. >>During the academic year 2000-2001 we have decided to recommend only one >>book - or parts of it: The Telecommunications Handbook (editors Kornel >>Terplan & Patricia Morreale). Please note one important word RECOMMEND. Let's have a short rewiev in the history, because I have experience of this course (or it's parallel course S-38.113) only since the academic year 1992-1993. - First we used Fred Halsall's ecellent book. Students complained that they had to buy a 900+ page book, which was expensive, used only partially, in English and from foreign country. And students foud it impossible to learn the correct terms in our official languages. - Then we used a collection of articles from various sources. The students complained that there was no coordination between the articles, there was languages they did not understand at all, and finally there was evident problems with the copyright laws. - Kalevi Kilkki started to write his own notes. All went better but our University increased student inlet including foreign students whom the University wasn't able to teach to use the Finnish language. Furthermore many students even refused to learn! - Kirsi and I continued the work publishing a student friendly priced book. 99% of the students were pleased with package. For foreign students we picked a book, which was even at public libraries widely available. Some foreign students (especially from Russia) disliked the English book. And I disliked it because it was written for students at lower level schools. - Then we suggested foreign students that they would use their time at bookstores and make a proposal of their own. No one arrived to me. - In October I spent two evenings of my free time at Suomalainen Kirjakauppa and Akateeminen Kirjakauppa bookstores looking thru all (English language) books written on the subject 'elementary telecomms'. And I found only one (1) to meet the contents of the course. Also it has it's own limitations. I took copies of the index of that book. It was quite time saving to point out the chapters which are adequate. The titles are descriptive enough for those who aren't so interested to obey or respect our RECOMMENDATION. The same subjects can be collected from various sources. >I have checked the effective pages of "Telecommunications Handbook " >as you marked and found its total pages is summed over 500--- it is >a huge amount of contents for foreign students to study. I agree that last point. But it is not a question of pages but things you should know. >Have you checked those pages? Of course. I red it thru. I'm always interested to see how another writer explains things that I have foud difficult to teach. And learn, too. >So I need you point out chapters with the requirements in which I >have to go through with details or roughly. I'm sorry, but no resources for that can be seen. I'm not making a test full of topics or peanuts. It is essential that you a) know correct terms (and their correct meaning in the real world), b) understand the direction of evolution, c) know the basic methods to get a bit or byte from place A to place B, d) can compare alternative solutions for certain problems, e) know what te problems are... Some examples: You have to know what modulation is, some modulation methods but not the mathematical theory involved in it. You have to know the differences between TDM and FDM, not the meaning of bit #5 in the time slot 00 in PCM. You must be able to explain what a modem does, not how phase-amplitude alternation is arranged in a V.32 modem. And it is good to know where the V.32 recommendation comes from... You shold know if the world is changing digital or analog, are connectionless protocols coming or disappering, are frequencies in cell phones growing... (I haven't got the book here at the country so I cannot check whether those things are included in the book. I hope that you understand the principle.) I have been at HUT since 1969, and as part time and full time teacher since 1974. During this period HUT has tried to grow international. I remember many students from Poland, Iceland, Chile and Vietnam who are now in respected positions in their old or new countries. All they were very active students, in both studies as student clubs' activities. They found it 'easy' to integrate themselves in the Finnish society - including the language. I have been wondering if the level of language lab and teaching have had tremendous problems or where is the real problem. Nowadays foreign students I meet every day have difficulties to learn to read Finnish texts. There are - of course - exceptions: for some reason we have nowadays students from Spain and they do serious work with the language studies although they are staying here for one or two year(s) typically. I have young relatives and friends from Finland and Sweden, who are studying medicine and cultural sciences in Estonia, The Netherlands and even in China. All of them reported that before studies in their own subject they had/have to participate language courses ONLY. I do not know why this is not understood at HUT. Well, this is an exceptionally long message covering all kinds of things. I hope that you got answers to your question. I hope that I haven't made many typing mistakes after a long night and morning at the web & with personal email. One good advice to repeat: become a member of some students' clubs. It gives you friends and (maybe invisible) support in studies. I think it is more comfortable to live in a society which can be understood... Rgds, Seppo _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.