Basic Information

  • Course Code: EE605
  • Course Name: Error Correcting Codes
  • Course Offered In: Autumn 2022
  • Instructors: Prof. Nikhil Karamchandani
  • Prerequisites: No strict prerequisites. Should have familiarity with linear algebra (MA106) and probability (EE325).
  • Difficulty (on a scale of 5): 3

Course Content

Notion of error correcting codes, minimum distance and rate, error detection / correction capability, basic treatment of algebraic structures like groups / finite fields, linear block codes and their general properties, bounds on code parameters such as rate and minimum distance, popular example constructions such as Hamming, Reed Muller, Reed Solomon codes, concatenated codes, List decoding, Expander Codes.

Feedback on Lectures

Lectures were straightforward and well measured. The content of the lectures was mathematical, and the instructor structured the flow of the lecture in a natural and interesting way by discussing various results relating to the concept and bringing them all together in the proofs that follow. Therefore it is almost never the case that a particular topic being discussed feels disjointed from what has already been introduced in earlier lectures. Paying attention during the lectures and taking notes would be especially helpful to cover the content from an evaluation perspective.

Feedback on Evaluations

  1. Four quizzes with the best three scoring quizzes amounting to 20%. Quizzes were open-book and typically covered the content from the previous quiz onwards, though earlier results do come in handy.
  2. Four assignments amounting to 20%. Each assignment preceded a quiz and covered the same content. The nature of the assignments was very much in vein with that of the quizzes, and results from the assignment can be used in the quizzes.
  3. An open-book mid-semester examination worth 30%.
  4. An end-term project worth 30%. The project was to be done in groups of two (however, exceptions were considered) and involved a presentation for at most 30 minutes based on a paper(s) of your choice relating to coding theory and its applications.

Study Material and Resources

For the most part, the instructor followed “Error Control Coding,” by Shu Lin and Daniel Costello, and “Introduction to Coding Theory,” by Ron Roth. Other references were mentioned by the instructor as and when required.

Final Takeaway

EE605, along with EE341 and EE708 give an end-to-end description of modern-day communication systems, which forms the backbone of the information age.