This course introduces Communication Engineering (CE) students to Project Based Learning (PBL). PBL is an innovative instructional approach that allows students to develop knowledge and skills engaging them in project where they face challenges and solve problems to develop a useful and “selllable” software for the communication industry. The students are responsible to plan the required learning activities, to manage the project by defining proper milestones and deadlines and to present their progress and final achievement. This first PBL course in the CE program will focus on simulation: students will build a digital twin of a real-world device, systems or network that allow to predict their behaviors. This is a fundamental step in the design process, but it can also be used in operational mode to optimize the control. This first PBL course in the CE program will focus on the design and implementation of a simulation model of a real-world communication device, system or network, in order to evaluate and predict its behavior and performance. This is a fundamental step in the design process, but it can also be used in live scenarios to optimize the control (e.g., digital twin). Based on the background acquired in other courses, students will develop a full-fledged simulator for a specific application. They will work in small groups to solve all problems that can arise, from the design to the final implementation of a simulator. We expect that students will learn new technical competences, improve the understanding of concepts learnt in previous course broadening their knowledge and improving also soft skills, like inter-personal communication, team-working and leadership.

Students will first learn how to organize a full project working in a team. From a more technical perspective, they will learn how to design, develop and validate a numerical simulator starting from models applying an adequate method. Knowledge - Organization and management of a project - Model design and development - Simulation techniques - Critical thinking - Required technical competences Abilities - Ability to work in a team - Ability to apply and select the best simulation method - Technical communication - Dissemination of project progress and results

As the different student teams will work on different topics, a basic knowledge of the broad field of communication systems and networks is required. Every team, depending on the project assigned, will be responsible to define a learning plan and interact with the professors to get consultancy on the specific area of knowledge required to address the project technical issues.

Every academic year the course will be offered to students, a different set of projects will be proposed for the development in team of 3 or 4 students. Each project will fall in a specific area of Communication Engineering. This is a list of areas for the development of projects: - Ultra-high-capacity transcontinental optical links; - Communication- and energy-aware mission planning and control for cooperative UAVs; - Virtual services for autonomous mobile systems; - Satellite link for communications and ranging; - High-speed data-center links; - Application of probabilistic and statistical tools to detect network attacks; - Application of digital signal processing techniques to audio time series.

The course will start with an introduction to project management strategies and tools normally employed to oversee collaborative teams working on a project (Gannt chart, human resources accounting, etc). Along the semester, on a regular basis (about every 3 weeks), each team developing a project will present the progress of the work completed and the plan for the remaining period. Presentations must include the discussion of all the achievement in the learning plan, all the issues encountered during the design and development of the simulator, the eventual adjustments to project planning and the motivation for all taken technical choices. Periodical presentations are mandatory elements of course activities and they will allow students to acquire and improve their ability to communicate results obtained while motivating all choices the team will made. Presentations will contribute to the final grade. All students in a team must contribute both to the work and to deliver the presentations. The individual contribution within the team will be also evaluated in the final grade. At the end of the course, a final presentation of the projects is organized: each group will demonstrate the results achieved, presenting them to other teams. Every group is required to deliver a final report describing in detail the simulator developed. Both periodical presentations and the final presentations must be uploaded on the course repository.

The teacher responsible of the course will provide slides and notes for the introductory classes addressing project management and dissemination of results. Every project will have a Reference Teacher who will follow the team: specific teaching material will be provided through the course website based on the learning plan agreed with each team.

Modalità di esame: Prova orale obbligatoria; Elaborato progettuale in gruppo;

Exam: Compulsory oral exam; Group project;

... Each team is required to deliver a final report on the project. Every student is required to take an oral exam. The final report must summarize all the work carried out through the project, highlighting main choices and describing all property of the developed simulator together with some practical use case. The oral exam is a discussion on the whole project and it will start from the delivered report. Periodical presentations must show the ability of the team to manage the project and the organization of the teamwork. The evaluation will consider the ability to use correct technical language, to focus on the core ideas and to clearly introduce concepts. The oral exam must show that the student: - understands the whole work developed by each student of the team; - contributed in a meaningful way to the team achievement; - learned the required competences and abilities to solve the addressed problem; - understand the achieved results. The exam grade is a weighted average of the following evaluations: quality of presentations (periodic ones and final one), final report, individual contribution within the team, individual oral discussion. The precise weighting criteria will be presented and discussed at the beginning of the course.

Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.