ECE Laboratory Policies
Student-Supplied Materials
Text books are not required for laboratory courses. Instead, students
must provide hand tools, test leads, breadboards, and other items that are
used to set-up and perform experiments. Lab kits are available for online
purchase from Electronix Express. See the ECE Laboratory website
http://www.ece.uncc.edu/ecelab/for for details.
Students will keep “Laboratory Notebooks” containing details of
weekly experiments, data collected, and calculations.
Attendance
♦ Students will not be allowed to sign up for one section and
attend another. Only under special circumstances and with the
approval of Dr. Hargrove and the lab TA’s involved will any
variation of the normal registration be considered.
♦ Students are required to attend and participate in every scheduled
lab session. There will, of course, be times when students miss
class for good reason (illness, automobile accident, etc.) In this
event, students must contact TA for make-up arrangements, and
for permission to submit assignments late without penalty.
◊ If for good reason a student misses a lab, or makes
a reasonable request in advance of the class meeting, it
is permissible for the student to do the lab in a different
section later in the week.
• If you make-up your lab in a later section during
the week, your lab report is due at the normal meeting
time of your lab for the next week.
♦ If you wish to make-up a lab at a time other than in another
section during the same week, you must make arrangements
with TA
♦ Students more than 30 minutes late are considered absent and,
at the TA’s discretion, may be allowed to make-up the lab or complete
the lab alone, if time permits.
Final grades for laboratory courses are comprised of six elements:
1. Laboratory Notebook containing details of weekly experiments,
data collected, and calculations.
2. Pre-Lab Exercises
a. Lab time is limited. Pre-lab exercises familiarize you
with the subjects to be investigated by experiment and
provide an opportunity to resolve questions before
entering the lab. Students who have not completed the
pre-lab exercise are not properly prepared to do the
experiment.
b. Pre-lab exercises are due at the beginning of each lab
session, and will be collected by TA’s at that time.
Failure to turn in a pre-lab at the beginning of the lab
period will result in a grade of zero for that assignment.
3. Weekly Quizzes
Questions are derived from the previous week’s lab experiment or
the pre-lab. The length and content will be at the discretion of the
TA.
4. Lab Report (Technical)
a. Format for lab reports along with an example of a
properly completed report is detailed on the ECE
Laboratory web site at http://www.ece.uncc.edu/ecelab/ in
the “Lab Documents” section.
b. Reports are submitted electronically via Moodle, and are due
at the beginning of your lab period of the week following the
experiment. In the case of lab reports covering multiple
experiments, reports are due at the beginning of the lab
period of the week following the final experiment of the
group.
c. No late reports will be accepted. Student will receive
zero for that report.
d. Data sheets must be signed by your lab TA before you
leave the lab, or there will be a 10 point reduction of your
lab report grade. Each member of a lab team should
pay close attention and participate in the taking of data.
e. Each omission of required data in your report can result in a
5 point reduction of the report grade. Five points will also
be deducted for data recorded without the proper units.
5. Lab Report (English)
Lab reports are graded separately for English composition,
grammar, and spelling. English requirements are on the ECE
Laboratory Website http://www.ece.uncc.edu/ecelab/ under English
Requirement – Report Writing Guidelines and Grading Policy.
Also, follow the IEEE Editorial Style Manual link for help with
abbreviations, citations, etc.
6. Practical Examination
A practical examination, intended to evaluate individual proficiency
with making measurements using common laboratory instruments,
is administered during normal class time near the end of the term.
ECE Laboratory Policies
Grading
Course grades are computed in the following way:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Weekly Lab Notebook
Weekly Pre-Lab
Weekly Quiz
Report (Technical)
Report (English)
Practical Exam
10 points ea. x10 =
10 Points ea. x10 =
10 points ea. x10 =
100 points ea.x4 =
25 points ea.x4 =
Course Total
100 points
100 points
100 points
400 points
100 points
200 points
1000 points
Course Grade = (Course Total)/1000 x 100%
Participation
Participation of all students is required in lab.
♦ Each team member must participate in the construction of the
laboratory circuits and the development of data gathering procedures.
♦ If work for other classes is being done in the lab the student’s
grade will be reduced.
♦ If discussion in a lab group does not pertain to the lab session,
the students involved may be asked to leave with no make-up allowed.
Conduct
Inappropriate activity such as horseplay in the lab area or abusing equipment will
result in removal from the lab with no make-up and a grade of zero for that lab.