• The course is organized into three blocks. The materials provided through the Virtual Campus include a series of videos that students are required to watch before attending class. These videos contain the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for digital systems design. Additionally, students have access to automatically graded interactive exercises and a digital systems simulation environment.
• The course is taught using a "problem-based classroom" approach. All face-to-face sessions are problem-oriented and focus on addressing questions and doubts arising from the videos, as well as on solving cases proposed by the teaching staff or the students themselves. Active student participation in these sessions is essential; these are not conventional "lecture-based" classes. Sessions are conducted in small groups (around 30–40 students), a necessary condition to ensure the required level of interactivity in a course with a highly practical and applied nature.
• The course is completed with three laboratory practices, each structured into two sessions. During the first session, students carry out simulation and validation work on the designed circuits; in the second session, the design is transferred to an FPGA to verify its actual execution. Each session hosts a maximum of 20-25 students working in groups of 2 and lasts 2 hours.
• Tutorials may be individual or in small groups and are scheduled on demand in coordination between each instructor and their students. Group tutorials may also be proposed by the teaching team, but in such cases, students must submit specific questions in advance through the corresponding Virtual Campus (VC) forum. This allows instructors to properly plan and conduct the tutorial session.

This course does not include the single assessment option.

a) Evaluation process and scheduled activities

1. Two midterm exams, to be taken individually and in person, under controlled conditions and in written format. These exams assess the students' acquired knowledge and their ability to solve problems by designing appropriate and efficient digital circuits.
2. Exercise resolution: consists of a set of online exercises with automatic grading, which students must submit by specified deadlines. Individual activity
3. Video viewing prior to attending class.
4. Activities in which students must demonstrate the competencies acquired during the lab sessions (attendance required). Group activity of 2 students.

The final grade for the course obtained through continuous assessment (CA) is calculated as follows:

• (Activity 1) The average of the two midterm exams (MT1 and MT2)
• (Activities 2 and 3) Completion of exercises and video viewing (Ex)
• (Activity 4) Grade from the evaluated lab activities (LB)

Formula: CA = MT · 0.5 + Ex · 0.2 + LB · 0.3,

where MT = (MT1 + MT2) / 2

To pass the coursethrough continuous assessment, the following conditions must be met:

• CA ≥ 5
• MT1 and MT2 ≥ 4 (each), and MT ≥ 5
• LB ≥ 5

To reschedule an assessment activity at the UAB School of Engineering for valid reasons (serious medical, legal, or official grounds), you may submit a request to reschedule assessment activities. This procedure must be carried out within the 5 calendar days prior to the exam date or up to 5 calendar days after it.

b) Schedule of evaluation activities

The dates for exams and assignment submissions are published at the beginning of the course on the Virtual Campus (VC) and on the School's website (exam section). These dates may be subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances. Any changes will be communicated through the CV.

It is important to note that no exams will be administered outside the scheduled dates, unless there is a justified reason, communicated in advance and with the instructor's approval and the approval of the teaching team.

c) Resit process

Activity 1 (theory exams) can be retaken during the final exam.

• If the grade obtained in one of the partial tests PP1 or PP2 is < 4, this grade must be exceeded by taking a retake exam in the corresponding partial. In order to apply the formula (which takes into account the partial tests, the assessables and the practices), the grade obtained in this retake must be ≥ 5
• If the grade obtained in the 2 partial tests respectively is < 4, the student must take a new exam that will include the entire subject. The grade obtained will be the new PP grade, which must be ≥ 5 in order to apply the formula (which takes into account the partial tests, the assessables and the practices).

A student who has passed a partial exam or even passed through continuous assessment can retake the exam. The final grade will be the one obtained in this retake, whether better or worse than the previous one.

Activities 2 and 3 (exercises and video viewing, worth 20% of the final grade) cannot be retaken.

Activity 4 (labs) also cannot be retaken.

If MT < 5 or LB < 5, the final course grade will be the lower of the continuous assessment grade (CA) or 4.5.

d) Grade review procedure

Grades for evaluation activities will be published on the Virtual Campus. Once published, information on the grade review process will be provided. Normally, a deadline will be set for students to request a review. Based on the requests, students will be informed of the specific date and time for the review session.

If a student does not follow the established procedure or does not attend the review, the activity will not be reviewed later. The review of any test can mean either an improvement or a worsening of the corresponding grade, depending on the revised interpretation made of the test.

e) Special grades

• A student who has not participated in any assessment activity or lab session will receive a grade of "Not Assessable".
• To be eligible for an "Honors Distinction (MH)", a final grade of ≥ 9.0 is required. However, since the number of MHs awarded cannot exceed 5% of enrolled students, this condition alone is not sufficient. MHs will be grantedto the students with the highest grades.

f) Consequences of academic misconduct: copying, plagiarism, etc.

Without prejudice to other disciplinary measures, and in accordance with current academic regulations, any academic misconduct by a student that may affect the grading of an assessment activity will result in a zero (0) grade for that activity. Such activities cannot be retaken.

If the activity in question is required to pass the course, the course will be automatically failed with no opportunity for retake during the same academic year.

These irregularities include, but are not limited to:

• Full or partial copying of a lab report, assignment, or any other evaluable activity
• Allowing others to copy
• Submitting group work not entirely completed by all group members (this applies to all members)
• Unauthorized use of AI tools (e.g., Copilot, ChatGPT, or equivalents) to solve exercises, labs, or any evaluable activity
• Presenting third-party work as one’s own, including translations or adaptations
• Possession of communication devices (e.g., phones, smartwatches, pens with cameras, etc.) during individual or group assessment activities (exams)
• Talking to classmates duringindividual assessments (exams)
• Copying or attempting to copy from others during exams
• Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials during exams

Restricted use of AI: for this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed exclusively in support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searches. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.

In summary: copying, allowing others to copy, or plagiarism (or the attempt) in any assessment activity results in an automatic fail, not compensable and with no validation of previous work in future editions of the course.

g)Evaluation of repeating students

Students who completed and passed the laboratory practices the previous year, but who failed the subject, may choose not to repeat the practices in the current year. In this case, the practice grade (PL) will be a 5, regardless of the grade obtained in the previous year. The list of students who can choose not to complete the practices is published in the CV at the beginning of the course. If, however, a student wants to repeat the practices, they must inform the professor responsible for the practices via email and in this case they will keep the most recent grade for these practices.

If a student has committed irregularities (copying/plagiarism) in any assessment activity in a previous call for the subject, they will not be entitled to have their practices validated (if they had passed them).