UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Template 7: Graduating Year Review Template
Details
Current Year
2010
Name of Programme
BSc in Electronics
Original Programme Identifier
Name of Self-Review
Coordinator
UC04-BSc/1 (D) Electronics
Dr John Giffin
Programme Statement
Description
The aim of the proposal was to introduce a new major, Electronics, in the BSc. Courses in Electronics were already
being offered in the Departments of Physics and Electrical and Computer Engineering and the introduction of Electronics
as a major was a natural extension and filled a recognised gap in the offerings at Canterbury. The pathway of study
ensured that students majoring in Electronics would also have a good understanding of physics, computer science, and
mathematics so that students would have an understanding of the nature of modern electronic devices and their
interaction with the world. The programme offered a more applied focus. However, students were still encouraged to
include a number of courses with a more theoretical basis.
The programme was introduced as planned. However, after 2007 the programme failed to capture as many of the niche
group of students for whom it was intended when more places within BE(Hons) Engineering became available. The
calibre of students was lower and not all were able to achieve the goals of the programme.
Achievement
Goals of the programme
The overall goal of the programme is to provide a route to a practically-oriented electronics qualification that will be
below the level of the BE(Hons) degree but provide more electronics design and practical experience than a BSc in
Physics. The degree is designed to have an academic content comparable to the Physics and Computer Science BSc
degrees and not be a practical electronics qualification in the sense of a polytechnic route.
The overall programme coherence is achieved in the main by ensuring that courses are selected so that the students gain a
balance of fundamental skills and practical experience at all levels, but that the breadth of courses to be offered is such
that some speciality can also be accommodated. Whilst much of the BSc in Electronics curriculum has been developed
by double-coding or re-coding already extant courses to make them available across the Faculty of Science and the
Faculty of Engineering and Forestry; three new courses were introduced, namely COSC240 C Programming, ELEC321
Electronics Design, and ELEC322 Industrial Electronics.
Graduate Profile
Generic Attributes and Skills
The general attributes of a graduate of the BSc in Electronics programme, which will be reinforced in each course, are
general cognitive and transferable skills as well as subject-specific skills. These subject specific skills will include a deep
knowledge and understanding of the quantum and atomic nature of electronic devices, a deep knowledge of electronics,
appropriate training in practical skills (such as computer programming) and an ability to critically evaluate electronic
designs. Personal development should also go hand in hand with academic development within the curricula and as such
students will be encouraged to learn how to work independently and as part of a team.
The Aims and Objectives for the BSc in Electronics
The Department of Physics and Astronomy aims are based on the University’s strategy to coordinate related teaching
programmes and the University’s emphasis on the provision of high-quality teaching and learning. The aim of all the
departments involved in the provision of the BSc in Electronics is to provide access to a high-quality undergraduate
degree for students from a wide range of academic backgrounds and a level of support to ensure that undergraduate
students:
1
(i)
develop a secure and demonstrable knowledge and skills base in electronics, fitting them for further study
and for employment;
(ii) realise their individual capabilities and develop their skills as independent learners;
(iii) acquire specific training within a specialised area of electronics.
In fulfilment of these general aims, the departments involved offer a range of courses. However, each student will have
progressed through a common core of electronics, physics, mathematics, and computer science.
Implementation and evaluation of the courses is in terms of a set of general objectives and a set of course-specific
objectives. The general objectives are that students should demonstrate at various stages a sound knowledge of core
electronics skills and the ability to apply this within the general areas. Students should also have a sound knowledge of
the mathematical techniques required, competence in the subject-specific skills of scientific methodology, mathematical
and scientific modelling, experimental techniques, numerical and computational methods and problem solving. Students
should also demonstrate knowledge of core physics, emphasising the principles and practice of analogue and digital
electronics, reinforced with a comprehensive skills base, to facilitate a career in electronics.
The profile was met through the courses that made up the pathway of study for the major, including the individual course
objectives. Course delivery included lectures, laboratory work and tutorials.
Changes
There were no significant changes to the approved programme in that the subject electronics is introduced at 200-level,
building on a 100-level foundation of physics, mathematics and computer science. The initial structure of the programme
in 2005 comprised: (Strongly Recommended) PHYS113, PHYS114, MATH105, (COSC121 or MATH171), plus
ELEC225, ELEC226, ELEC321, one of ELEC381-383, and 6 further points from ELEC322-329, PHYS213, COSC361362. In 2007, a further computer science course, COSC122, was added as strongly recommended, and a 200-level
computer science programming course, COSC208, became required. These changes were made to ensure that students
had the necessary computing knowledge to meet the goals of the programme. In 2010, as a consequence of the
University’s change to 15-point courses, course codes were amended in accordance with the remapping of the
curriculum. The 200-level computer science required course COSC208 was maintained.
Review Processes
E
Account of Review Processes
The panel assembled for the Graduating Year Review of the BSc in Electronics programme consisted of Dr John Giffin,
Dr Jon-Paul Wells, Dr Michael Hayes and Dr Richard Watts. Dr Giffin chaired the review panel; he is a Senior Lecturer
in the Department of Management, and has been the Management Science representative on the Science Board of Studies
since 2003. Dr Giffin’s teaching and research interests fall completely outside the area of electronics, thereby providing
an independent perspective in the review process. Dr Wells is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics &
Astronomy and is a past Supervisor of Studies for the Electronics major. Dr Hayes is a Senior Lecturer in the Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering and has taught courses in the BSc in Electronics programme. Dr Watts is a
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, but has not been directly involved in the delivery of the
Electronics programme. Due to the timing of the review, and the occurrence of the Canterbury Earthquake of 04
September, committee members experienced intermittent availability at various times of the review process, resulting in a
month-long delay to the conclusion of the review process.
As part of the review, academic staff teaching into the BSc in Electronics programme were contacted, either by email or
by face-to-face interview. Other staff in the Department of Physics & Astronomy were also invited to make email
submissions to the panel; a formal submission was also received from Professor Roger Reeves, the Head of the
Department of Physics &Astronomy. Associate Professor Richard Duke, the current Assistant Vice-Chancellor
(Academic) and a member of the academic staff of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and who has
taught into the Electronics programme, was also briefly interviewed. Fifteen past graduates of the programme were
contacted to fill in a questionnaire by email; six responded. Eighteen (18) current students filled in a similar
questionnaire.
Efforts were made to receive comment from industry/employers but no responses were received. The panel intended to
contact other New Zealand universities offering similar programmes, but, given the tone of most of the comments
received from those contacted above, this was ultimately deemed unnecessary.
Review Outcomes
E
Acceptability
The BSc in Electronics is not accredited by any external body, but there are no courses in the major, offered by either the
Department of Physics & Astronomy or the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, that are not offered as
part of a BSc in Physics or a BE(Hons) in ECE, so they all fall under the accreditation umbrella as much as other courses
2
taught by these departments. The Electronics programme offered at the Universities of Otago and Auckland are not
specifically accredited by The Sydney Accords, so the programme at the University of Canterbury is not out of line with
these other New Zealand university programmes.
Consultation responses from six members of the academic staff of the Department of Physics and Astronomy raised a
number of issues. A major concern is that since 2007 the electronics programme has not attracted the calibre of students
capable of completing the majoring requirements successfully to meet the goals of the programme. More able students
are currently able to gain entry to Electrical and Computer Engineering. There is a mismatch between the goals of the
programme and the ability of the students, which results in a significant failure rate. Also, the intention of students
progressing to graduate entry in BE(Hons), Electrical and Computer Engineering, or Physics from a BSc in Electronics
has not routinely occurred. Two academic staff members suggested that the major be ‘resuscitated’, including greater
promotion of the programme.
The graduate responses were generally positive. A number of students mentioned that more design/project work would
have been beneficial. Current students identified many strengths of the programme but it was noted that the programme
was small and that it would be good to have more courses in design/projects. The appropriateness of electronics for
their future careers generated a range of responses from, ‘It may be redundant because of EEE (Electrical and Electronic
Engineering programme)’ to ‘Differentiate it more from EEE’. Some of the student responses demonstrated that the
overall goal of positioning the academic content ‘comparable to the Physics and Computer Science BSc degrees and not
be a practical electronics qualification in the sense of a polytechnic route’ was not well understood.
Assessment procedures and student performance
The delivery of courses incorporates methods consistent with those already in use within the Departments of Physics &
Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Faculties of Science and Engineering. Courses are taught
in lecture-and-tutorial and lecture-and-laboratory format, with considerable emphasis on the latter. Assessment of
courses in the programme follows the principles and practices stipulated by the University of Canterbury’s Teaching and
Learning Committee. Assessments include a combination of assignments, laboratory experiments and reports, plus test
and/or examinations. The number and types of assessments established for each course appear to be reasonable, and are
applicable to the established course objectives. No external assessment of work is undertaken at 300-level and below.
Data
Table 1: Numbers enrolling and completing [First Major]
Projected
No.
Enrolling
Year
Actual No.
Enrolled
Full-time
Part-time
EFTS
No.
Completed
Withdrawals
2006
24
18
6
23.42
9
0
2007
25
19
6
20.88
8
0
2008
21
16
5
14.82
7
0
2009
24
16
8
18.75
8
0
Table 2: Distribution of Grades (Electronics First Major) See Appendix A.
Table 3: Numbers enrolling and completing [Second Major]
Actual No.
Enrolled
Full-time
Part-time
EFTS
No.
Completed
Withdrawals
2007
5
4
1
3.86
1
0
2008
3
2
1
2.4
2
0
2009
2
1
1
1.04
0
0
Year
Projected No.
Enrolling
Table 4: Distribution of grades (Electronics Second major) (See
Appendix A)
Programme Evaluation
As originally envisaged when it was proposed in 2004, the BSc major in Electronics was to be pitched at a niche market
below the level
of the BE(Hons) in A+
Electrical and
Course
A ComputerA-Engineering
B+(ECE), andB above the level
B- of the mainly
C+
Year
practical electronics courses then available at New Zealand Polytechnics, providing greater coherence and theoretical
2007 CHEM113
underpinnings,
in addition to “more electronics design and practical experience than a BSc in Physics.” At the time that
the BSc
majorCOSC122
in Electronics started, ECE was turning away significant number of students from its popular programme,
2007
and such students
then often availed themselves of the opportunity to pursue a ‘second chance’ qualification in the
2007 COSC208
highly-related field of electronics; most students enrolling in the BSc in Electronics entered the programme via this
2007 ELEC227
ELEC228
2007 ELEC321
2007 ELEC323
2007 ELEC361
2007
3
1
1
1
1
1
C
C-
1
route. In the following years, however, quotas for entry into the ECE First Professional Year were relaxed, so that the
number of students, and their overall academic quality, reduced. Additionally, ‘good’ BSc students who would
otherwise have taken the Electronics major were now able to be accepted into the ECE programme. The average
undergraduate GPA of recent students taking the BSc in Electronics has been about 2.6. Further, academic staff from the
Department of Physics & Astronomy who used electronics to support their research programmes, retired, so the
enthusiasm and capability for offering the programme became substantially diminished, to the extent that a fixedcontract lecturer has had to be hired to do considerable teaching, and laboratory staff have experienced added pressure.
Thus, the continued offering of the programme, especially within the current funding environment and plans to offer
high-quality programmes, is unsustainable. Similarly, the ECE Department now also has reduced enthusiasm for
allowing BSc students to enrol in the courses they offer as part of the Electronics programme, as the BSc students do not
have as comprehensive a set of prerequisites as the ECE students, so their chances of achieving good grades are further
compromised.
Students taking the BSc major in Electronics have been pleased with the quality of the programme, and grateful for the
opportunity to pursue it outside Engineering; they were somewhat concerned, nevertheless, about the perceived lack on
promotion of the programme within and without the University of Canterbury. However, the unanticipatedly-low
academic standard of most of the students has meant that many of the original goals of the programme have not been
met and that any increasing mismatch between the programme and the abilities of the students has been observed: course
topics covering theoretical aspects of electronics (such as quantum and atomic nature of electronic devices) have been
watered down, and students have demonstrated poor programming and mathematical competencies. Additionally, over
the past 5 years, only one student has transferred back to ECE after completion of the BSc in Electronics. It also appears
that no graduates from the BSc in Electronics have sufficient background (in quantity or quality) to pursue graduate
study in either Physics or ECE, which runs directly counter to the hopes of the original proposal.
Several plans for improving the programme (and its profile) have been offered, but all involve considerable extra
expenditure, which would necessarily remove resources from other Department of Physics and Astronomy
programmes/courses that currently have more support from staff, and thereby the potential to attract high quality
students who would subsequently continue on to postgraduate study (consistent with the stated aims of the University).
In the current environment, it is clear that there is unlikely to be any turnaround in demand for Electronics that is not
already being catered for by the BE(Hons) in ECE, or by Polytechnic programmes, so that the use of extra resources for
Electronics would have to remain a low priority for the Department of Physics & Astronomy.
Continuation or Discontinuation
It is the unanimous view of the panel that the BSc major in Electronics be discontinued, subject to those students already
in the programme being allowed to complete their degree, and a limited number of electronics courses continue to be
offered by the Department of Physics & Astronomy to cater for demand from students seeking both practical and
theoretical knowledge of electronics.
Appendix A (Grade Distribution)
Table 3: Distribution of grades [Electronics as First Major]
Year
Course
2007
2007
2007
2007
2007
2007
ELEC312
ELEC321
ELEC323
ELEC326
ELEC361
ELEC381
Year
2008
2008
2008
2008
2008
Year
2009
2009
2009
2009
2009
A+
Course
ELEC312
ELEC321
ELEC322
ELEC361
ELEC381
Course
ELEC312
ELEC321
ELEC323
ELEC361
ELEC381
A
A-
B+
B
2
1
2
2
1
2
B-
C+
C
C Aeg
1
3
1
2
1
1
3
1
C-
Pass
1
1
Fail
1
Other
1
1
2
1
Withdrawn
1
1
1
1
A+
A
1
A-
1
4
B+
B
1
2
A
A-
B+
1
B
B1
1
1
2
2
1
3
C+
2
1
1
3
2
2
1
A+
B1
2
1
1
C
C Aeg
C-
Pass
2
1
2
3
1
2
1
C+
1
C
2
1
1
1
2
2
4
Other
Withdrawn
Other
Withdrawn
1
1
1
3
C Aeg
1
1
Fail
C1
Pass
Fail
1
5