Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will gain an understanding of a wide range of communication engineering topics. You will be introduced to the relevant fundamental communication principles, common signal transmission modes and media, signal processing techniques used in communication systems, and various types of communication systems and networks. You will apply mathematical analysis techniques to study different communications systems and their applications. You will study the concepts of data and computer communications and the Internet. You will be introduced to some advanced communication topics such as wireless communications and optical fibre communications. The unit also provides you with opportunities to further develop communication skills through teamwork involving hands-on laboratory work. Furthermore, the unit aims to promote the UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation by developing an understanding of how to build resilient and sustainable communication systems to support industrial innovation.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 3 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Prerequisites: (ENEE13018 Analogue Electronics AND ENEE13020 Digital Electronics) OR ENEX12002 Introductory Electronics. Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Laboratory/Practical | 30% |
| 2. Online Test | 30% |
| 3. Project (applied) | 40% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 62.50% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 28.57% response rate.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: SUTE
The unit requirements could be clearer.
The unit assessments and requirements should be highlighted during class.
The unit assessment requirements were mentioned during Week 1.
Source: SUTE
Unit content covers too many topics.
The unit content should be revised to be more concise.
The unit content covers the essentials in Communication Technology.
Source: SUTE
Online quizzes need more descriptive feedback.
Online quizzes should be improved to offer more detailed feedback.
Some questions in Online Quizzes were improved and this process is continuing.
Source: SUTE
Some students had difficulty to relate the unit materials to the knowledge required for their degree and future career.
The relevance of the unit content to other engineering topics and the final-year project should be discussed in class.
The relevance of the unit was discussed in Week 1.
Source: SUTE
The open-ended design project enhanced understanding of communications technology.
This practice should be continued.
This practice was continued.
Source: SUTE
Students appreciated the learning provided through the assessments.
This practice should be continued.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Quizzes contained a few questions with incorrect answers.
Quizzes should be revised to enhance students' learning.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Tutorial and assignment questions were disconnected from the reading and lecture materials.
The tutorial questions should be revised to show the connection between the lecture material and the tutorials to improve the students' learning.
In Progress
Source: SUTE
Some students have indicated that the feedback could be made more useful for their learning.
The general feedback should be discussed in the class, highlighting common mistakes and key issues. This will help students learn not only from their own errors, but also from those of their peers, fostering a deeper understanding of the content.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain the operation of communication systems using fundamental communication concepts
- Describe amplitude and angle modulation techniques using mathematical methods
- Analyse the operation of communication transmitters and receivers at system and circuit levels
- Application of digital coding techniques, error detection and correction techniques in digital communication
- Describe the operation of computer networks, wireless communication, transmission lines, wave propagation, antennas and fibre optics
- Communicate professionally using appropriate electrical engineering terminology, symbols, and diagrams that conform to Australian and International Standards.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3.
Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:
Introductory
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities, and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 1N 3N 5N )Intermediate
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 3I 5I ) 3.3 Creative, innovative, and proactive demeanour. (LO: 5I )
Advanced
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1A 2A)
1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences that underpin the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 3A 5I)
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1A 2A 3A 4A 5A) 1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 4A 5A)
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem-solving. (LO: 3A 5A)
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools, and resources. (LO: 3A 5A) 2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 5A) 3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 6A 7I) 3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 2A 4A 5I 6I)
Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate, and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course-level mapping informationhttps://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Laboratory/Practical | • | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Online Test | • | • | • | • | ||
| 3 - Project (applied) | • | • | • | |||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | |||||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |