Module Review: EE2027 Electronic Circuits

Introduction 

This is an introductory module of various evicting electronic components and semiconductors like PN junctions, BJTs, MOSFETs, diodes and operational amplifiers. It also goes into the nitty gritty details of how these works and the "science" behind it. (yes, the periodic table will reappear here!!)... 

Concepts learned in EPP (EE1111 etc) such as KCL/KVL, circuit analysis and solving are very relevant here, so it's a good idea to brush up on it. While I feel there were too many things to digest, the good news is the module is well structured and ran by experienced professors that gives clear explanations of the concepts. The bad news is as lectures and tutorials were conducted in classrooms, there were no webcasts and you may get a little lost during revisions as you cannot recall what they said few weeks ago. :( 

Unlike JC students who may find this module a little overwhelming (but not as bad as EE2028 though), poly peers have probably learned it before, giving them an edge. The key in scoring in this module is understanding instead of spamming past year papers. The prof teaching my class always emphasise that exam questions are always set very differently, which is indeed so. This also means things that were touched and go during classes could come out in the exams.

Grade assessments and lesson format

The module has many CA components, including one midterm (20%), two labs (10%) and four graded homework (15%). Majority will get close to full marks for the labs and homework so do aim for that. The main variation comes from the midterm and finals. While answer keys were provided for midterms, they were not given for finals. However, many questions from the finals are repeated in tutorial questions, so you can practice from there. 

One annoying thing about these tests are the 10 marks worth of true/false questions, that deduct marks for wrong answers (probably to punish students who guesses). No cheat sheets are allowed but an extensive formula list are provided. Some "shortcut" formulas that make calculations a little easier are not provided, so some memory work is needed. 

The lessons are conducted seminar style, i.e. there are no fixed tutorial or lecture lessons. It's dependent on the class pace. However, when the lesson is a tutorial class, there will be graded homework that needs to be submitted. There are also two lab sessions, which wasn't too difficult. For the second lab, you will be issued with a toolbox with resistors, opamp, multimeter etc  and you're expected to build the circuit yourself and compare the results with a circuit simulator (LTspice).

 

Additional comments

You will do well if you put in effort in digesting the concepts. I did the "rote-learning" style and struggled, especially during exams. If you're someone like me who likes to slap a formula, manipulate the math and derive the final answer, you find this module indifferent... This module is.. How would I put??... Your typical, average EE module.. The typical electrical engineering type of stuff that your friend from FASS envision you're doing everyday.. You know that EE stereotype? Yup, that's EE2027 in a nutshell.

This isn't the worse module out there and being consistent in lessons will go a long way. The finals was a surprise with some unexpected questions for me. The most difficult questions are the one relating to opamps and the prof says it's the easiest to mark as many students left it blank. I did average for the midterms and I presume, the same for finals. The final grade I got was also average, which wasn't surprising. My personal opinion is if I have put in a little more effort understanding what's going on, I will probably get at least A-... As my circle of friends (many who I think is in my calibre in terms of academics have gotten A- and above..)...

My rating: Difficulty: 4/5 Workload: 4/5 Teaching staff: 4/5 Overall: 4/5

Graded components: Midterm: 20% Lab: 10% Homework: 15% Finals: 55%

Expected grade: B+ Final grade: B+