Teaching aspects of MATLAB and Simulink in Communications

Abstract

Understanding various analogue and digital modulation techniques and learning their practical application plays a key role in basic higher education in communications engineering and telecommunications. In modern engineering education, it is essential that students not only have a theoretical understanding of modulation techniques but also be able to simulate, analyze, and subsequently apply them in real-world systems. The operation of communication systems is based on several physical, mathematical, and algorithmic relationships that are difficult to understand without practical examples. In recent decades, the development of simulation tools has significantly changed the methodology of engineering education. MATLAB and Simulink are among the most widely used simulation platforms in engineering education, as they combine the flexibility and multi-level nature of mathematical modelling with visualization capabilities and real-time system-level simulation. They offer unique opportunities for the practical implementation and simulation of mathematically based theoretical descriptive models, interactive modification of characteristic parameters, and visualization of complex communication transmission systems. The effectiveness of the simulation options used in basic telecommunications training can be measured by the competencies students acquire in understanding and applying the modulation forms used in telecommunications. Another similar indicator of quality characteristic may be their support for students' more profound understanding of the operation and characteristics of the basic modulation modes used in telecommunications systems. At the same time, the necessary knowledge can be effectively transferred by leveraging the software's multi-level capabilities. [1] This study provides a comprehensive overview of the methodological and didactic aspects of teaching modulation techniques within the Communication Techniques courses on the MATLAB and Simulink platforms.