State University of New York at Farmingdale
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology
TO:
Dean Arthur Corradetti
Professor Stuart Asser
FROM:
Professor John Browne
DATE:
May 25, 2014
SUBJECT:
Review of Q.C.C. Telecommunications Program
The following is a summary of my observations of the Telecommunications Technology
Program at Queensborough Community College based on the Self-Study Report and my
site visit.
The program grows out of a solid foundation of courses offered by the Engineering
Technology Department. Many of the core courses of the program draw on the years of
experience of the department. The faculty brings a rich background of industrial and
teaching experience to the program. The equipment used in the laboratory appears up to
date incorporating such items as surface mount rework facilities for experiments and
“Capstone Course “projects.
The following are a few areas which the department or I saw as areas requiring future
input:

There is a need for additional time to devote to some of the more complex
forms of modulation and other issues such as passive intermodulation
distortion and multipath effects. I believe these topics are discussed in the
second Telecom course (ET-231). It might be possible to at least provide
an introduction to some of these topics in ET-230 based on its strong
foundation. Along these same lines, the departments’ discussions of
program revamping should include a course on emerging topics such as
Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) systems. Telecommunications is
a very fast changing discipline so a course on emerging topics will help to
keep the program current.

Another area of concern is how much of the basic topics such as biasing of
transistor circuits should be covered in light of modern operational
amplifiers. In my opinion, the biasing techniques of the differential pair
along with the basic voltage divider biasing system presented in ET-210
should be retained as this impacts the use of the operational amplifier.
Although not directly related to the area of Telecom, consideration might
be given to the introduction of some material on power inverters in ET220 due to the rapid growth in alternative energy systems.

The Telecom program has separate D-C and A-C circuits courses (ET110/140). These are strong fundamentals course that serve the program
well. I believe that it is possible to combine these courses to provide
additional space in the program. Such a combined course would require a
careful examination of the impact on the laboratory experiment sequence
but I feel it could be done. Combining ET110/140 would also open the
way for an elective course without increasing the total number of credits.
An elective course would give students an opportunity to pursue other
areas of interest.
In summary, I feel that the program is strong and effective. It provides the student with
what is needed by the industry.
Best Wishes
Prof. J. Browne