DSY1501/101/0/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2024

Digital Systems 1
DSY1501

Year Module(s)

Department of Electrical Engineering

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, DSY1501-24-Y, as well as your group website.

Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS

Page

1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 4
2 MODULE OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Purpose ........................................................................................................................................ 5
2.2 Outcomes ..................................................................................................................................... 5
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ........................................................................................... 6
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS................................................................................... 6
4.1 Lecturer(s) .................................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Department ................................................................................................................................... 6
4.3 University ...................................................................................................................................... 6
5 RESOURCES ............................................................................................................................... 7
5.1 Prescribed book(s) ........................................................................................................................ 7
5.2 Recommended book(s) ................................................................................................................. 7
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves).................................................................................................. 7
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................ 8
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................................ 8
7. STUDY PLAN ............................................................................................................................... 9
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE .......................................................................................................... 10
8.1 What does it mean to study fully online? ..................................................................................... 10
9. ASSESSMENT ........................................................................................................................... 10
9.1 Assessment criteria..................................................................................................................... 10
9.2 Assessment plan ........................................................................................................................ 12
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................ 13
9.4 Submission of assessments ........................................................................................................ 13
9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions ........................................................................................ 14
9.5 The assessments ........................................................................................................................ 15
9.6 Other assessment methods ........................................................................................................ 16
9.7 The examination ......................................................................................................................... 16
9.7.1 Invigilation/proctoring .................................................................................................................. 16
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ........................................................................................................ 17
10.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 17
10.2 Cheating ..................................................................................................................................... 17

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10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below: ..................................................... 17
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES .................................................................................. 17
12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 17
13. SOURCES CONSULTED ........................................................................................................... 17
14. IN CLOSING ............................................................................................................................... 18
15. ADDENDUM ............................................................................................................................... 18
ANNEXURE: GLOSSARY OF TERM .................................................................................................... 18
16. ANNEXURE 1: GRAPHICAL VIEW OF ENGINEERING QUALIFICATION ............................... 18
17. ANNEXURE 2: GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT GRADUATES ATTRIBUTES DIPLOMA .. 19
18. ANNEXURE 3: LIST OF GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES DIPLOMA .............................................. 20

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1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution.

The comprehensiveness of our curricula encapsulates a range of offerings, from strictly
vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's "openness" and its
distance eLearning character result in many students registering at Unisa who may not have
had an opportunity to enrol in higher education. Our CODeL character implies that our
programmes are carefully planned and structured to ensure success for students ranging
from the under-prepared but with potential to the sufficiently prepared.

Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involves multiple modes of delivery ranging from
blended learning to fully online. As a default position, all post graduate programmes are
offered fully online with no printed study materials, while undergraduate programmes are
offered in a blended mode of delivery where printed study materials are augmented with
online teaching and learning via the learner management system – myUnisa. In some
instances, undergraduate programmes are offered fully online as well.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the
University. Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent, Unisa's graduates have distinctive
graduate qualities which include:

• independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve
in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities

• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its
histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts

• the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-
increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews

• how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and creatively

to solve real-life problems

• an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential

(This is a fully online module)

Whether a module is offered either as blended (meaning that we use a combination of printed
and online material to engage with you) or online (all information is available via the internet),
we use myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that is used to administer,
document and deliver educational material to you and support engagement with you. Look
out for information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to determine how to
access the virtual myUnisa module site. Information on the tools that will be available to
engage with the lecturer and fellow students to support your learning will also be
communicated via various platforms.

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You are encouraged to log into the module site on myUnisa regularly (that is, at least twice per
week). [DSY1501-2024-Y].

Because this is a fully online module, you will need to use myUnisa to study and complete the
learning activities for this module. Visit the website for [DSY1501] on myUnisa frequently. The
website for your module is [https://mymodules.dtls.unisa.ac.za/DSY1501-2024].

We wish you every success with your studies!

2 MODULE OVERVIEW
2.1 Purpose

The purpose of this module is to enable students to develop competencies and skills in solving
problems in Digital technology, Boolean algebra, Logic Gates and Combinational Logic. This
module is compulsory and core for the Higher Certificate in Electrical Engineering. Successful
completion of this module will allow students entry to Digital Systems 2 and Electronics 2
modules at the diploma level as well as modules at the Advanced Certificate level.

2.2 Outcomes

For this module, you will have to master several outcomes:

• Specific outcome 1: Understand the concepts of digital signals and systems, explain the
differences between digital and analog quantities, represent digital quantities (pulses and
waveforms) and understand the basic logic gates (AND, OR, NOT) and how they can be
applied in a digital system.

• Specific outcome 2: Demonstrate thorough knowledge of the different number systems

(binary, decimal, hexadecimal, octal, Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)), operations and codes, and
conversion between them.

• Specific outcome 3: Understand and apply logic gates in logic circuits. Analyse and build
combinational logic circuits from basic and derived logic gates (XOR, NOR, NAND, XNOR).

• Specific outcome 4: Understand the laws and theorems of Boolean algebra, logic
simplification of Boolean expressions (Sum of Products: SOP & Product of Sum: POS). Simplify
Boolean expressions using truth tables, Karnaugh maps and code converters.

• Specific outcome 5: Analyse basic combinational logic circuits, such as AND-OR, AND-OR-
NOT, XOR, XNOR. Use the basic combinational logic circuits to implement SOP and POS
expressions.

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• Specific outcome 6: Apply the knowledge of logic gates and Boolean algebra to creating
functions of combinational logic in designing basic adders, parallel adders, comparators,
decoders, encoders, multiplexers and demultiplexers.

• Specific outcome 7: To use AND-OR-INVERT (AOI) Integrated Circuits (ICs) to implement

SOP expressions

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed curriculum
transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation includes student-
centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment practices, the scholarship of
teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies and philosophies. All of these will be
phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a result of this you will notice a marked change
in the teaching and learning strategy implemented by Unisa, together with the way in which the content
is conceptualised in your modules. We encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at
Unisa in a responsive way within the framework of transformation.

4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer(s)

The primary lecturer for this module is Ms. MI Masopoga:

Department: Electrical Engineering
E-mail: masopmi@unisa.ac.za

Contact hours: 08:00 – 16:00 Monday to Thursday

4.2 Department

You can contact the Department of Electrical Engineering as follows:

Telephone number: 011 471 3706

E-mail: muldeem@unisa.ac.za

4.3 University

To contact the University, follow the instructions in the brochure Study @ Unisa. Remember to
have your student number available whenever you contact the University.
Whenever you write to a lecturer, please include your student number to enable the lecturer to
help you more effectively.
Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Please include the student number in all correspondence

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5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

Thomas L. Floyd, “Digital Fundamentals, Global Edition”, 11th edition, Pearson (intl), ISBN:
9781292075983, 1292075988; eISBN: 9781292075990, 1292075996.
Also, remember to check MyUnisa under additional Resources for important information
5.2 Recommended book(s)

John Crowe and Barrie Hayes-Gill, “Introduction to Digital Electronics”.

Recommended books can be requested online, via the Library catalogue.

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

There are no electronic reserves for this module.

E-reserves can be downloaded from the library webpage Find e-reserves. More
information is available at: http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/search/r

5.4 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has
created numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:

• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance

• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature
Search Request (on your research topic) service,
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support.
• For library training for undergraduate
students, visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Training
• Lending Services https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• Services for Postgraduate students -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• Support and Services for students with disabilities -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-
special-needs
• Library Technology Support -https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools -
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases – https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

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 Important contact information:
• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-
help@unisa.ac.za
• General library-related queries: Library-enquiries@unisa.ac.za
• Queries related to library fines and payments: Library-fines@unisa.ac.za
• Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: libr-ill@unisa.ac.za
• Literature Search Service: Lib-search@unisa.ac.za
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)

• E-mail: mymodule22@unisa.ac.za or myUnisaHelp@unisa.ac.za

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessment
and how to participate in forum activities via the following link: https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours
for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: myLifeHelp@unisa.ac.za

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain the official primary e-mail address on
record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

6.1 First-Year Experience Programme

Many students find the transition from school education to tertiary education stressful. This is also true in
the case of students enrolling at Unisa for the first time. Unisa is a dedicated open distance and e-
learning institution, and it is very different from face-to-face/contact institutions. It is a mega university,
and all our programmes are offered through either blended learning or fully online learning. It is for this
reason that we thought it necessary to offer first-time students additional/extended support to help them
seamlessly navigate the Unisa teaching and learning journey with little difficulty and few barriers. We
therefore offer a specialised student support programme to students enrolling at Unisa for the first time –
this is Unisa’s First-Year Experience (FYE) Programme, designed to provide you with prompt and helpful
information about services that the institution offers and how you can access information. The following
FYE services are currently offered:

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FYE Website Email Support

www.unisa.ac.za/FYE fye@unisa.ac.za

FYE1500
Post
myUnisa; Study
Registration
Referrals to Skills; Academic &
Orientation Digital Literacies;
other support
services i.e. etc
Counselling;
Reading & Writing
workshops

To ensure that you do not miss out on important academic and support communication
from the SRU, please check your myLife inbox regularly.

7. STUDY PLAN
Consult my Studies @ Unisa for suggestions about general time management and planning
skills. You can refer to the following link to manage your studies.

https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Learner-support-&-regions/Counselling-and-
career-development/Manage-your-studies

This is a year module offered over 30 weeks and requires at least 120 hours of study time.
This means that you will have to study at least four hours per week for this module. Here is a
suggested schedule that you could use as a guideline for studying this module:

ACTIVITY HOURS
Reading and re-reading Tutorial Letter 101 and this 2
preface
Skimming the learning units and textbook, forming a 5
thorough general impression of the whole
First reading of the learning units and the textbook 16
In-depth study of the learning units 1-8: making mind 61
maps and summaries, and doing learning activities
Completing all assessments 16
Major assessment revision 14
Writing the major assessment 6
Total 120

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8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE
8.1 What does it mean to study fully online?

Studying fully online modules differs completely from studying some of your other modules at
Unisa.

• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed to
be delivered online on myUnisa.
• All your assignments must be submitted online. This means that you must do all your
activities and submit all your assignments on myUnisa. In other words, you may NOT
post your assignments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.
• All communication between you and the university happens online. Lecturers will
communicate with you by e-mail and SMS, and use the Announcements, Discussion
Forums and Questions and Answers tools. You can also use all these platforms to ask
questions and contact your lecturers.

The main tool that we will use is the Lessons tool. This tool will provide the content of and the
assessments for your module. At times, you will be directed to join discussions with fellow
students and complete activities and assessments before you can continue with the module.
It is very important that you log in to myUnisa regularly. We recommend that you log in at least
once a week to do the following:

• Check for new announcements. You can set your myLife e-mail account so that you
receive the announcement e-mails on your cellphone.
• Do the Discussion Forum activities. When you do the activities for each learning unit,
we want you to share your answers with the other students in your group. You can read
the instructions and even prepare your answers offline, but you will need to go online to
post your messages.
• Do other online activities. For some of the learning unit activities, you might need to
post something on the Blog tool, take a quiz or complete a survey under the Self-
Assessment tool. Do not skip these activities, because they will help you to complete the
assignments and the activities for this module.

We hope that by giving you extra ways to study the material and practise all the activities, this
will help you to succeed in the online module. To get the most out of the online module, you
MUST go online regularly to complete the activities and assignments on time.

9. ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

This module will use continuous assessment which means that you will do several smaller
assessments throughout the semester instead of the usual series of assignments and an
examination.

Below is the specific outcomes versus assessment criteria.

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Specific outcomes Assessment criteria

1. Decimal to Binary and Binary to Decimal
conversions are applied logically.
2. Subtraction of binary numbers using 1’s and
Independent Learning 2’s complements are done according to the
Enable students to carry out standard procedures.
1
mathematical operations with the 3. Conversions between the different number
different numbering systems. systems and hexadecimal are applied
correctly.
4. The different Digital codes and their uses
are identified and explained.
1. The different types of logic gates are
identified and discussed.
Investigation 2. The different types of logic gates are
2 Identify the different types of logic gates identified and their digital functions are
available and discuss their functionality. explained.
3. The truth tables of the different logic gates
are identified and drawn correctly
1. The Laws of Boolean Algebra are explained
and applied
Independent Learning 2. The Rules of De-Morgans theorems are
applied correctly.
Simplify digital systems using Boolean 3. Conversions between SOP expressions
3
algebra and Karnaugh maps, and POS expressions are done logically.
4. Boolean expressions are solved and
simplified using Boolean algebra.
5. Boolean expressions are minimized using
Karnaugh maps.
1. Basic combinational circuits are designed
from wording.
Engineering Design 2. Truth tables are used in the design process
4 Design basic Combinational logic and also for validation that the logic is
Circuits. correct.
3. The diagrams of the combinational logic are
implemented from the truth tables
1. Binary adders are used to perform Binary
additions
Engineering Design
2. Comparators are used to differentiate logic
5 Make use of combinational logic to build
3. Multiplexers are utilized to do many to one
basic digital systems and apply
and one to many conversions.
functionality.
4. Code converters are used to convert from
BCD code to other digital codes.
1. Decoder IC’s are connected
Engineering Design 2. AND-OR-INVERT gates IC’s are connected
6 Explain how to connect IC’s that according to specifications.
implement combinational logic. 3. Multiplexer IC’s etc. are connected
according to specifications.

7 Problem Solving 1. The students will carry out an experiment

on the topic of Gates.

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 Practical experiments performed on the 2. The students will carry out an experiment
prototype kit. on the topic of Boolean algebra.
3. The students will carry out an experiment
on the topic of K-maps and Boolean
minimizations.
4. The students will carry out an experiment
on the topic of combinational logic

Graduate Attributes
To maintain our programme/qualification accreditation, each programme must provide evidence
that our students are attaining key “attributes” as defined by the ENGINEERING COUNCIL of
SOUTH AFRICA (ECSA). As such it is important as a student that you are familiar with the
ECSA assessment criteria (graduate attributes). Please see the annexture regarding
information about graduate attributes.
This module does not have GA’s.

9.2 Assessment plan

School of Engineering is following a continuous assessment system. So, you will be able to
accumulate marks throughout the year.
The formative assessment for this module will be in the form of timed online tests and written
submissions via myUnisa. The major online tests will be 2 hours long with an additional 15
minutes to download the test and 30 minutes to upload the answer script. There will be a total of
two-timed online tests plus one additional resubmission in the event you do not meet the
passing mark. There will also be two written assignments and two minor tests, these
assessments will come before each test to guide students on what is expected on the major
tests.

Your final mark will be calculated from a total of 4 assessments. All 4 assessments are
compulsory.

Please note:

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit 4 assignments.

• All information on when and where to submit your assignments will be made available to
you via the myUnisa site for your module.

• Due dates for assignments, as well as the actual assignments are available on the
myUnisa site for this module.

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• Your assignments will comprise a combination of 2 assignments and 2 major tests.

• Your continuous assessment mark allocation for this module is as follows:

ASSIGNMENT NUMBER ASSESSMENT TYPE CONTRIBUTION

TOWARDS YEAR MARK

Assessment 01 Minor Assessment 15%

Assessment 02 Minor Assessment 15%

Assessment 03 Major test 1 35%

Assessment 04 Major test 2 35%

Assessment 05 Major Re-test (not 35%

compulsory)

TOTAL =100%

9.3 Assessment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing page for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving

towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take place
online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
This is an online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational
material to students and support engagement between academics and students.

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the

myModules 2024 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are
registered for.

• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site

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 regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared with
you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you will
see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will
see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be multiple choice, some tests, others written assessments, some
forum discussions, and so on. All assessments must be completed on the assessment
shells available on the respective module platforms.

• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you.
When the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time
available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter
(Tutorial Letter 101) and are only made available online. You must therefore access the
quiz online and complete it online where the quiz has been created.

• It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell phone find
it difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle
to navigate between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cell
phones are more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all
possible, please do not use a cell phone for this assessment type.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double
check that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember, no marks can be
allocated for incorrectly submitted assessments.

9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions

All assignments are defined as either optional, mandatory, compulsory, or elective.

• Elective assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
- The best of the required submissions will count.
• Mandatory assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
• Compulsory assignments
- If not submitted, the result on the student’s academic record will be absent.
• Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional
assignment so that it may benefit your learning.

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I. Elective assignments
a. the student is given a choice of which assignments within an identified group to
submit, only the best result(-s), the number of which is specified in advance, will
contribute towards the year mark.
b. elective assignments must also be grouped into an elective group.
c. for the student to select which assignment to submit, the elective assignments must
be grouped together. For such an elective group, relevant information must be
provided to the student, such as how many of the assignments must be submitted
and how many of the assignment marks should be combined into the year mark.
d. The selection criteria define how marks received for assignments in an elective group
are to be combined into the year mark. Three different criteria may be used for
calculating the year mark:
• The best mark should be used, or
• If the student submits fewer than the required number of assignments per group or
no assignment in a group, a mark of 0% will be used.
• 0% is awarded to all non-submitted or unmarked assessments. A best mark is
then calculated from all items.

II. Mandatory assignments

a. contribute to the year mark.
b. If a student fails to submit a mandatory assignment, no mark is awarded and the year
mark is calculated accordingly. The student will therefore forfeit the marks attached to
this assignment when the final mark for the module is calculated.
III. Compulsory Assessment
a. when not submitted, the student will fail a Continuous Assessment module but will
be shown as absent from the examination in the case of other modules.

IV. Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional assignment so

that it may benefit your learning.

9.5 The assessments

As indicated in section 9.2, you need to complete 4 assessments for this module.

There are no assignments included in this tutorial letter. Assignments and due dates will be
made available to you on myModules for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be
available to you upon registration.

• No late assignment submissions will be accepted.

• Keep a clear copy of the assignment for your own reference. This is important, as
assignments do get lost.
• Submissions of assignments must be in accordance with “my studies @ unisa
• You must obtain a minimum of 50% on both major tests. However, all assessments are
compulsory to pass the module.
• Student who fails any of the major tests will have a one opportunity to re-do the
tests.

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 • Because this is an online module, the assignments are not provided in this tutorial letter.
Instead, they will be posted online as they become due, and you will see them when you
go online.
• All assessments must be submitted in PDF format only.

9.6 Other assessment methods

The final mark will be calculated by using a ratio of 100% of the year mark for continuous
assessment (formative) and 0% summative assessment. This means there will be NO
examination.
9.7 The examination

Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made available to
you online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared with you by your
lecturer and e-tutors (where relevant) and for communication from the university.

9.7.1 Invigilation/proctoring

Since 2020 Unisa conducts all its assessments online. Given stringent requirements from
professional bodies and increased solicitations of Unisa’s students by third parties to unlawfully
assist them with the completion of assignments and examinations, the University is obliged to
assure its assessment integrity through the utilisation of various proctoring tools: Turnitin,
Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools will authenticate the student’s
identity and flag suspicious behaviour to assure credibility of students’ responses during
assessments. The description below is for your benefit as you may encounter any or all of these
in your registered modules:

Turnitin is a plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students’ submissions
against internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying academic fraud and ghost
writing. Students are expected to submit typed responses for utilisation of the Turnitin software.

The Moodle Proctoring tool is a facial recognition software that authenticates students’ identity
during their Quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student’s mobile or laptop
camera. Students must ensure their camera is activated in their browser settings prior to their
assessments.

The Invigilator “mobile application-based service does verification” of the identity of an

assessment participant. The Invigilator Mobile Application detects student dishonesty-by-proxy
and ensures that the assessment participant is the registered student. This invigilation tool
requires students to download the app from their Play Store (Google, Huawei and Apple) on
their mobile devices (camera enabled) prior to their assessment.

IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during assessment and provides for
both manual and automated facial verification. It has the ability to record and review a student’s
assessment session. It flags suspicious behaviour by the students for review by an academic
administrator. IRIS software requires installation on students’ laptop devices that are enabled
with a webcam.

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Students who are identified and flagged for suspicious dishonest behaviour arising from the
invigilation and proctoring reports are referred to the disciplinary office for formal proceeding.

Please note:

Students must refer to their module assessment information on their myModule sites to
determine which proctoring or invigilation tool will be utilised for their formative and summative
assessments.

For major tests, students will be required to us IRIS invigilation.

10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another

student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, this forms part of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact (name and e-mail address of the lecturer must be
inserted) to discuss the assistance that you need.

12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

My Studies @ Unisa brochure contains an A-Z guide of the most relevant study information.

13. SOURCES CONSULTED

None

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14. IN CLOSING
Do not hesitate to contact us by email if you are experiencing problems with the content of this
tutorial letter or with any academic aspect of the module.

We wish you a fascinating and satisfying journey through the learning material and trust that
you will complete the module successfully.

Enjoy the journey!

M.I Masopoga lecturer for DSY1501

15. ADDENDUM
None

ANNEXURE: GLOSSARY OF TERM

16. ANNEXURE 1: GRAPHICAL VIEW OF ENGINEERING QUALIFICATION

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17. ANNEXURE 2: GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT GRADUATES

ATTRIBUTES DIPLOMA

The 360 credit Diploma in Electrical Engineering was designed considering the HEQSF
document from 2013 and the generic ECSA document “Qualification Standard for Diploma in
Engineering: NQF Level 6; Document: E-02-PN; Rev 5; from 01 September 2020”.

Due to the extraordinary development of engineering knowledge and technology, there is a

need for defining a common denominator for the engineering qualifications in order to ensure
the mobility and global recognition. To this end, under the umbrella of International Engineering
Alliance (IEA), Dublin Accord was signed in 2002.
The Dublin Accord is an agreement for the international recognition of Engineering
Technician qualifications.

For the 360 credit Diploma the Dublin Accord rules and regulations are applicable

The following countries are the signatories of Dublin Accord.

• Australia - (Engineers Australia, 2013)

• Canada - (Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists, 2002)
• Ireland - (Engineers Ireland, 2002)
• Korea - (Accreditation Board for Engineering Education of Korea, 2013)
• Malaysia - (Board of Engineers Malaysia, 2018)
• New Zealand - (Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand, 2013)
• South Africa - (Engineering Council of South Africa, 2002)
• United Kingdom - (Engineering Council UK, 2002)
• United States - (ABET, 2013)

Assurance of substantial equivalence through this agreement may enhance mutual exemption
between jurisdictions by leading to opportunities to streamline processes and procedures for the
recognition of competent individuals in other jurisdictions.

The agreement recognizes that there is substantial equivalence of programs accredited by

signatories. Graduates of accredited programs in any of the signatory countries are recognized
by the other signatory countries as having met the academic requirements for entry to the
practice of engineering.

The equivalency of the engineering programmes was possible through the introduction of
Graduate Attributes. Graduate Attributes are assessable outcomes, developed by the
signatories that give confidence that the educational objectives of programmes are being
achieved ensuring the quality of the programme.

As the Graduate Attributes are “assessable outcomes”, each module part of the qualification,
has several Graduate Attributes attached to them and must be assessed in a measurable way,
namely through assignment or laboratory reports or projects or exams. Some Graduate
Attributes may be assessed via several measurable ways.

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From 2022 the Graduate Attributes are assessed in design, practical, project and Work-
Integrated learning modules and the total number of 12 Graduate Attributes will be assessed
over the whole qualification.

The Graduate Attributes may be assessed at basic, intermediate and exit level.

The qualification may be awarded only if:

• the student has obtained the minimum of credits distributed in the knowledge areas
defined in the E-02-PN document,
• The graduates of this qualification will be able to demonstrate competence in the
Graduate Attributes from 1 to 12 as defined in the E-02-PN document.
If the student is not declared competent in all 12 Graduate Attributes, he /she will not be
able to graduate, regardless of the credit obtained in the knowledge areas.
Therefore, it is extremely important for the students to understand the importance of the
graduate attributes, as is the only measure of the substantial equivalency of engineering
technician qualifications, between signatory countries.

18. ANNEXURE 3: LIST OF GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES DIPLOMA

The graduate attributes defined below are stated generically and may be assessed in various
engineering disciplinary or cross-disciplinary contexts in a provider-based or simulated practice
environment.
General Range Statement: The competencies defined in the eleven graduate attributes may be
demonstrated in a university-based, simulated workplace context. Competencies stated generically may
be assessed in various engineering disciplinary or cross-disciplinary contexts.
Level Descriptor: Well-defined engineering problems:
a) can be solved mainly by practical engineering knowledge, underpinned by related theory; and have
one or more of the characteristics:

i) are largely defined but may require clarification.

ii) are discrete, focused tasks within engineering systems

iii) are routine, frequently encountered, may be unfamiliar but in a familiar context.
b) and their solutions have one or more of the characteristics:
i) can be solved in standard prescribed ways.
ii) are encompassed by standards, codes and documented procedures; requires authorization to
work outside limits.
iii) information is concrete and largely complete but requires checking and possible
supplementation.

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iv) involve several issues but few of these impose conflicting constraints and have a limited range
of interested and affected parties.

Graduate Attribute 1: Problem solving.

Identify, formulate, analyse and solve well-defined engineering problems.

Graduate Attribute 2: Application of scientific and engineering knowledge

Apply knowledge of mathematics, natural sciences, engineering fundamentals and an engineering
speciality to solve well-defined engineering problems.
Level descriptor: Knowledge of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering sciences is
characterized by:
A thorough grounding in the natural sciences applicable to the sub-discipline.

A thorough grounding in mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics and formal aspects of computer
and information science to support analysis and modelling applicable to the sub-discipline;

A thorough grounding in the engineering fundamentals required in the engineering sub-discipline; and

Engineering specialist knowledge in the accepted practice areas in the engineering sub-discipline
Range Statement: Mathematics, natural science and engineering sciences are applied in analysis and
modelling of engineering situations, and for reasoning about and solving well-defined engineering
problems.

Graduate Attribute 3: Engineering design

Perform procedural design and synthesis of components, systems, engineering works, products or
processes.
Range Statement: Design problems used in exit-level assessment must conform to the definition of a
well-defined engineering problem. A design problem should be used to provide evidence. The design
knowledge base and components, systems, engineering works, products or processes to be designed
are dependent on the sub-discipline or practice area.

Graduate Attribute 4: Investigations, experiments and data analysis

Demonstrate competence to design and conduct investigations and experiments.
Range Statement: The balance of investigation and experiment should be appropriate to the sub-
discipline. Research methodology is to be applied in research or an investigation where the student
engages with selected knowledge in the research literature of the sub-discipline.

Note: An investigation differs from a design in that the objective is to produce knowledge and
understanding of a phenomenon and a recommended course of action rather than specifying how an
artifact could be produced.

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Graduate Attribute 5: Engineering methods, skills and tools, including information technology.
Demonstrate competence to use appropriate engineering methods, skills and tools, including those
based on information technology.
Range Statement: A range of methods, skills and tools appropriate to the disciplinary designation of the
program including:
• Sub-discipline-specific tools, processes or procedures.

• Computer packages for computation, modelling, simulation, and information handling

• Computers and networks and information infrastructures for accessing, processing, managing,
and storing information to enhance personal productivity and teamwork.

Graduate Attribute 6: Professional and technical communication

Demonstrate competence to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with engineering
audiences and the community at large.
Range Statement: Material to be communicated is in an academic or simulated professional context.
Audiences range from engineering peers, academic personnel and related engineering peers, using
appropriate academic or professional discourse. Written reports range from short (300 words) to long (a
minimum of 2000 words excluding tables, diagrams and appendices), covering material at exit-level.
Methods of providing information include the conventional methods of the sub-discipline, for example
engineering drawings, as well as subject- specific methods.

Graduate Attribute 7: Sustainability and impact of engineering activity

Demonstrate critical awareness of the sustainability and impact of engineering activity on the social,
industrial and physical environment.
Range Statement: The combination of social, workplace (industrial) and physical environmental factors
must be appropriate to the sub-discipline or other designation of the qualification. Comprehension of the
role of engineering in society and identified issues in engineering practice in the sub-discipline: health,
safety and environmental protection; risk assessment and management and the impacts of engineering
activity: economic, social, cultural, environmental and sustainability.

Graduate Attribute 8: Individual, team and multidisciplinary working

Demonstrate competence to work effectively as an individual, in teams and in multidisciplinary environments.

Range Statement: Multidisciplinary tasks require co-operation across at least one disciplinary boundary.
Co-operating disciplines may be engineering disciplines with different fundamental bases other than that
of the programme or may be outside engineering.

Graduate Attribute 9: Independent learning ability

Demonstrate competence to engage in independent learning through well-developed learning skills.

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Range Statement: Operate in well-structured environment with some unfamiliar elements requiring
personal responsibility and initiative, accurately self-evaluate and take responsibility for learning
requirements; be aware of social and ethical implications of applying knowledge in particular contexts.

Graduate Attribute 10: Engineering professionalism

Demonstrate critical awareness of the need to act professionally and ethically and to exercise judgment
and take responsibility within own limits of competence.
Range Statement: Evidence includes case studies typical of engineering practice situations in which the
graduate is likely to participate. Ethics and the professional responsibility of a technician and the
contextual knowledge specified in the range statement of Graduate Attribute 7 is generally applicable
here.

Graduate Attribute 11: Engineering management

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of engineering management principles and economic
decision-making.
Range Statement: Basic techniques from economics, business management; project management
applied to one’s own work, as a member and leader in a team, to manage projects and in
multidisciplinary environments.

Graduate Attribute 12: Workplace practices

Demonstrate an understanding of workplace practices to solve engineering problems consistent with
academic learning achieved.

Range Statement: Tasks to demonstrate this outcome should be designed to connect academic
learning with workplace practice and may be performed in one or more of the following types of work-
integrated learning:
i) Work-directed theoretical learning.

ii) Problem-based learning.

iii) Project-based learning.

iv) Work-based learning, and

v) Simulated learning.

Note: While attribute 12 is specific to workplace practices, other attributes may be demonstrated
simultaneously

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References
Qualification Standard for Diploma in Engineering: NQF Level 6 E-02-PN
REVISION No. 5: 01 September 2020. Available via www.ecsa.co.za

©
Unisa 2024

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