ECE 329 - Fields and Waves I

Announcements

• Welcome to ECE 329 Fall 2026!

Instructors

Teaching Assistants

Contact

Please send all the course-related questions to this email ece-329-fall26-group@office365.illinois.edu rather than individual instructors or TAs

Homework Policy

• There will be 13 sets of homework. No homework will be dropped.

• Homeorks will be posted on Gradescope. Due Thursday 11:59pm, one week after posting.

• You will write homework on blank sheets of paper, put name and netid on top of first sheet.

• Start new problems on new sheets of paper.

• When done, you will scan and submit.

• You MUST tag problems on Gradescope.
  

• Homework must be handed in to Gradescope by the deadline. No late homework is accepted for any reason.

• You can work together on homework to discuss solution techniques, but you cannot copy solutions and must write your own independent solutions.

• Failure to follow ANY directions result in -5 points on homework.

• An average homework score of 80% or higher contributes 15% to the final grade.

Homework

Homework is posted every Thursday at 11:59pm on Gradescope.
Solutions to the previous homework will be posted on course website by 9am on Fridays.

Gradescope Enrollment

You should be automatically enrolled in Gradescope already. If you registered late and need entry code, please email Prof. Shao.

Office Hours

Office hours will start from August 31, 2026.

Prerequisites

• MATH 241: Vector calculus basics (Vector Calculus Primer)

• PHYS 212: Electric and magnetic field basics

• ECE 210: Linear circuit and system analysis tools

Lecture Notes (Textbook)

You can find the lecture notes here: ECE 329 Lecture Notes on Fields and Waves, Erhan Kudeki, 2021.

Supplement Text (Not Required)

N. N. Rao, Fundamentals of Electromagnetics for Electrical and Computer Engineering, Prentice-Hall, 2009.

Grading Policy

Grade Breakdown

Letter Grade Percentage Score

Discussion Forum

• All homework- and lecture-related questions should be posted in Piazza Discussion page. A TA or Instructor will answer within 24 hours.

• You are not allowed to post any homework solutions (right or wrong) on the forum.

• You should not discuss exams in the forum until 48 hours after exams.

DRES Accomodations

To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact Prof. Shao and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) before September 12, 2026. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 217-333-1970, e-mail disability@illinois.edu, or go to the DRES website at go.illinois.edu/DRES.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use

AI tools can support learning in ECE 329 when used appropriately. The ECE 329 Learning Companion is the recommended AI tool for this course because it is designed specifically to support learning in ECE 329.

If you use AI as permitted below, you are responsible for the accuracy of its contributions and for understanding all work you submit. You should keep a record of relevant prompts and responses and provide them to the instructional staff if requested.

You may use AI in ECE 329 for:

• Conceptual explanations, hints, and clarification

• Feedback on your reasoning or approach

• Checking and verifying your own work

• AI-based activities when specifically requested in an assignment

You MAY NOT use AI in ECE 329 for:

• Submitting AI-generated solutions or explanations as your own work

• Replacing the independent reasoning required by an assignment

• Using AI on quizzes or exams unless explicitly permitted

Specific instructions provided with an assignment override this general policy.

If you are unsure whether a particular use of AI is permitted, ask the instructional staff. Failure to follow these guidelines may be considered a violation of academic integrity under the University of Illinois Student Code.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to abide by the University of Illinois Student Code. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.

Any academic integrity violations will result in a FAIR report. Furthermore, the penalty will be as follows:

• A score of 0 (zero) on the assignment or exam where the first academic integrity violation occurred.

• A grade of F for the course when the second offense occured.

• Note that the standard of proof for a finding of infraction is “more likely than not”. This means I only need to show with 51% certainty that you committed the offense for the allegations to go on your record.

The following is a partial list of academic integrity violations for this course:

• Copying homework from other students (working together and discussing is acceptable)

• Copying homework from past solutions

• Using websites such as Chegg or Course Hero while completing any course assignments or exams

• Using unauthorized materials during exams

• Communicating with any person during exams

• Discussing the exam publicly within 24 hours, or discussing with anyone who has not yet taken the exam

• Not an academic integrity violation: Distributing any course material without authorization. This includes uploading homeworks/solutions and exam solutions to web sites, or sharing these documents with people not enrolled in the course.

  • Although not an academic integrity violation, it is a violation of the law and Professor will refer you to U.S. Attorney's Office for prosecution under The Digital Millennium Copyright Act.