A senior-level RF design course combining traditional lectures with an open laboratory format

In Kansas State University's Design of Communication Circuits course, 10 to 15 students each semester are introduced to the theory behind wireless communications hardware used in modern products such as pagers, wireless LANs, and cellular telephones. In contrast to typical senior-design courses that have separate laboratory and lecture sections, the class combines lecture and laboratory work, with the instructor managing and grading both. This allows scheduling a series of projects that can be combined at the middle and end of the semester to produce relatively sophisticated products, such as working FM broadcast transmitters and receivers. An additional feature of the course is the use of an open laboratory where students can work at any time during normal business hours to build and test their circuits. This allows a class of 10 or more to share a single copy of expensive equipment such as a spectrum or network analyzer, while providing a studio-type environment in which students can share experiences more effectively with others.