The course website will serve as the starting point for all information related to the Spring 2023 offering of this course. The links below will let you jump to a particular section.
Credit: 3 hours.
Prerequisite: CS 101 or CS 124, PHYS 212, and credit or concurrent registration in MATH 285.
Required Textbook: Circuits, Signals and Systems for Bioengineers (available for download at no cost from ScienceDirect using UIUC credentials)
The textbook is hereafter also referred to as CSSB.
Supplementary Textbook: Engineering Signals and SystemsSoftware: We will primarily use the required textbook for class. Therefore, you will need access to MATLAB. Optionally you may opt to use Python to complete the course requirements[1].
MATLAB is available on Engineering WorkStation computers or via Citrix.
Python is available in a cloud-based notebook format with any Google account on Colab. For local installations you have many options.
LMS: We will make extensive use of Ed and Gradescope.
Note: Official announcements will be done through Ed. You will be held responsible for content in announcements made on there. Make sure that you are:
Enrolled in the course on Ed, and
Have some method to stay up-to-date with course announcements.
Course objectives & outcomes can be found on the homepage.
Homework is due at the beginning of class on the due date via Gradescope. No late homework will be accepted. To account for any personal events, emergencies or unforeseen circumstances, the lowest homework grade will be dropped.
Generally, no exceptions will be made to the above policy or any extensions given. In case of an event that greatly interferes with your ability to complete assignments this semester, grading will be determined by the University policy on such extenuating circumstances.
Assignments can be found here.
There will be two midterms for this course and a final exam as scheduled by the Registrar's office. Please see the course schedule for tentative contents of the exams.
E1: Exam 1 on February 20, 1700 - 1820 hrs, 1SIEBL 1404
E2: Exam 2 on April 03, 1700 - 1820 hrs, 1SIEBL 1404
FE: Final Exam as per the registrar.
The final exam details will be posted once the registrar releases the final exam schedule.
A conflict exam will only be offered by policy if another exam or course in which the student is enrolled occurs at the same time as the BIOE 205 exam. Please note that documentation about the conflict from the other course’s instructor will be required.
Illinois law requires the University to reasonably accommodate its students' religious beliefs, observances, and practices in regard to admissions, class attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and work requirements. You should examine this syllabus at the beginning of the semester for potential conflicts between course deadlines and any of your religious observances. If a conflict exists, you should notify your instructor of the conflict and follow the procedure to request appropriate accommodations. This should be done in the first two weeks of classes.
All other instances will be handled on a case by case basis and will require appropriate documentation (note from McKinley, DRES letter, etc. ) and approvals (relevant ampus unit).
The tentative course schedule based on a 15-week semester is as follows. The readings are from CSSB and you are responsible for it.
| Week | Material | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to systems and signal representations; types of systems and signals (periodic vs. aperiodic, nonlinear vs. linear etc.) | 1.1 - 1.3 |
| 2 | Biological modeling; elementary signal transformations; special functions & basics of sinusoids & complex forms | 1.4, 2.1, 2.3 |
| 3 | Statistics of signals, correlation, autocorrelation, etc.; introduction to frequency domain analysis. | 2.2, 2.4 - 3.2 |
| 4 | Fourier transforms, complex & exponential forms, spectrograms, window functions, leakage. | 3.3 - 4.3 |
| 5 | Bandwidth, impulse response, convolutions; Causality, and frequency response of LTI systems | 4.4 - 5.3; E1 |
| 6 | Phasors, transfer functions, system diagrams and frequency analysis of LTI systems | 5.4 - 6.3 |
| 7 | System interconnections, simplifications, feedback, block diagram algebra & reductions | Notes |
| 8 | Elementary system elements, frequency response and Bode plots | 6.4 - 6.8 |
| 9 | Laplace transform & properties; applications of Laplace transform to LCCDE system analysis; Partial fractions | 7.1 - 7.2 |
| 10 | System types and stability; system representations, partitions & nonzero initial conditions | 7.3 - 7.4; E2 |
| 11 | Applications of Laplace transform to circuit analysis | 12 |
| 12 | Applications of Laplace transform to electromechanical and biomechanical systems | 7.5 - 7.7 |
| 13 | Simulink, Linear constant-coefficient differential equations; biological examples of LCCDE's | 9, 13 |
| 14 | Frequency domain and its application to circuit analysis; application & examples | 14 |
| 15 | Comparison of system analysis tools & signal representations; review | Notes |
| 15 | Final exam | FE |
Grading is broken down as follows.
| Midterm 1 | Midterm 2 | Final | Homework | Project | Participation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 % | 20 % | 20 % | 20 % | 15 % | 5 % |
Peer reviews may be used to evaluate participation of group work. Unprofessional behavior may reduce the final grade by up to 5 points per offense — in addition to any other sanctions.
The following grading scale is guaranteed; however, based upon student performance, final grades may be curved.
| Grade | Score | Grade | Score | Grade | Score | Grade | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | ≥ 94 | B+ | ≥ 83 | C+ | ≥ 73 | D+ | ≥ 64 |
| A | ≥ 91 | B | ≥ 80 | C | ≥ 70 | D | ≥ 60 |
| A- | ≥ 87 | B- | ≥ 77 | C- | ≥ 67 | D- | ≥ 55 |
In-class activities held about once per week will primarily count towards your participation scores.
As noted above, there will be a group project worth 15% of your final grade. It will involve modeling a biosystem and/or biosignal analysis in MATLAB. More information about the projects can be found here.
The usual academic integrity policies apply. You are expected to behave in a professional & ethical manner and your work should be your own. At minimum, plagiarism or cheating will result in a zero for the relevant assignment. More severe ethical violations can warrant further penalties including a failing grade. Details can be found in:
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. If you are concerned you have a disability-related condition that is impacting your academic progress, there are academic screening appointments available that can help diagnosis a previously undiagnosed disability. Please find resources available by visiting the DRES website.
The Grainger College of Engineering is committed to the creation of an anti-racist, inclusive community that welcomes diversity along a number of dimensions, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity and national origins, gender and gender identity, sexuality, disability status, class, age, or religious beliefs.
The success of this course depends on each of us creating a supportive and safe learning environment that promotes free discussion and ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Everyone is expected to contribute to creating and sustaining a climate where employees, instructors, and students may work together without being concerned about personal ridicule, or being exposed to inappropriate or intolerable language. You are invited to notify the course director of any instances of racism, discrimination, microaggressions, or other offensive behavior if you feel safe doing so.
You can also report these behaviors to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Based on your report, they will follow up and reach out to students to make sure they have the support they need to be healthy and safe.
As members of the Illinois community, we each have a responsibility to express care and concern for one another and we want to support you in your overall wellness. We know that students sometimes face challenges that can impact academic performance (examples include mental health concerns, food insecurity, homelessness, personal emergencies). The University of Illinois offers a variety of services addressing student needs at no additional cost. We encourage you to be aware of these resources by visiting the website and familiarizing yourself various mechanisms in place to help students in need.
In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines, and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances.
Please review the run, hide, fight handout and video provided on campus for information from the U of I Police Department. Additional emergency response recommendations can be found at this website. It is good practice to review campus building floor plans on their website within the first 10 days of class.
| [1] | Though you may find most of the course staff are more readily to help you in MATLAB than Python |