Enhanced Practical Wireless Communications Education via Blended Instructional Tools

Authors

  • Ashraf Tahat Princess Sumaya University for Technology
  • Ahmad Jamal Umniah Mobile Communications Company
  • Mohammad Kalbouneh Princess Sumaya University for Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v7i2.2477

Keywords:

Blended learning, handover, hand-off, hands-on laboratory, m-learning, 3G, GSM

Abstract


Today's graduating telecommunications engineers need marketable skills that are typically developed beyond the traditional classrooms. These skills set can be acquired by experimenting for hands-on experience that resembles the professional field workplace. In this paper, we address blending of methodologies, applications, and the use of the Internet for delivery of knowledge, and instruction in an undergraduate wireless communications engineering course. This solution combines several different delivery methods, such as face-to-face, team collaboration, field measurements, in conjunction with high-end professional simulation software. Two examples of handover in a dual-mode cellular network and radio frequency (RF) signal propagation modeling are considered. Demonstrations and verification of theoretical models are presented based-on blending of instructional means. Lessons are learned to enhance hands-on experiments beyond traditional laboratories to strengthen in-depth analysis, learning skills of students, in addition to promoting proper team collaboration on projects.

Author Biographies

Ashraf Tahat, Princess Sumaya University for Technology

Dr Tahat is an Associate Professor with the Department of Communications Engineering at PSUT in Amman, Jordan where he was the Department Chairman. He is currently a Visiting Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, working on digital signal processing for modern communications systems such as LTE-A.

Ahmad Jamal, Umniah Mobile Communications Company

received the BS degree in communications engineering from Princess Sumaya University for technology (PSUT) in Amman, Jordan in 2012. He is currently working at Umniah mobile communications copmany in Amman, Jordan as a Network Operator Engineer. He is responsible for command line configuration for Huawei/ZTE 3G & 2G equipment, in addition to analysis and investigation of KPIs.

Mohammad Kalbouneh, Princess Sumaya University for Technology

received the BS degree in communications engineering from Princess Sumaya University for technology (PSUT) in Amman, Jordan in 2012. He worked at Umniah mobile communications company in Amman, Jordan as a technical support engineer

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Published

2013-03-20

How to Cite

Tahat, A., Jamal, A., & Kalbouneh, M. (2013). Enhanced Practical Wireless Communications Education via Blended Instructional Tools. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM), 7(2), pp. 63–72. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v7i2.2477

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 2 (2013)

Section

Papers

License

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