I like to place a comment to just one part of this topic:

"What is the impact of the digitalization on the today's life".

To make clear what I mean: Today`s "digitalized" life concerns mobile phones, navigation instruments, e-book readers, tablets, I-phones, facebook services.....

Of course, all these devices and new developments have also positive aspects, however, I am afraid the social impact of all this stuff has some severe negative sides.

Let me bring an example: Two weeks ago I was forced to spend some hours on an airport waiting for a connecting flight. Most of the young people sitting close to me were "busy" with their modern electronic devices all the time. Similar situations can be observed each day in a bus or in a train. There are only a few young people who use such "breaks" to give their brain a chance to rest or to recover.

Instead, they are clicking, surfing, playing, screen-touching, social networking (social?),...Continuously, they are connected with the "rest of the (their) world" - and, therefore, they think that they are informed about all important developments in the world. But I am afraid they are not.

At the time being we here in Germany have an actual discussion about increasing stress for school children. For my opinion, all the mentioned activities after school (even during school lessons) play an important role in this regard.

And the most important problem is: There is no politician who points to this side of the problem. It is not "politically correct" - instead, they explain every deficiency with a lack of money.

There are many psychologists/therapists reporting that the work with these young people is becoming more and more important. And I am afraid, these problems cannot be solved with money.

Am I too pessimistic?

Regards

Lutz vW

Yeeeeeeeeeeeessssss....exactly.....how well you have said it, Lutz! That is why I continuously place my materials (including RG discussions) on the web with the hope that my students will come across them when furtively browsing the web during the classes-:)

Yes, I suppose it is possible work in the electronics profession, and hardly ever be required to design a circuit that uses discrete transistors or an op-amp. A criticism levelled at a circuit design I completed recently was, it used too many discrete transistors, and surely I could have found integrated circuits to do the job. But sometimes, discrete transistors can be used to solve a problem very effectively, are very low cost, and are far more easily multi-sourced.

The importance of being analogue (for the electronics engineer) is, it gives him or her flexibility - the capacity to choose from a greater variety of approaches to solving a design problem. In general, electronics engineers find it easier to make a living if they are conversant with both analogue and digital techniques.

I started in the electronics profession in digital design. But I found the most interesting aspect of digital design were the problems that happened when digital circuits were pushed to the limits of their performance, when analogue problems threatened to break down the assumptions that underlie the ordered digital world - analogue phenomena such as transmission-line effects, or metastability in latches. For many years, I only played with op-amps in personal projects, and never designed with op-amps professionally in my day job.

Paradoxically, the 'digital' world of the internet afforded me the opportunities to learn more about the analogue side of electronics.

Nowadays, I get to design with op-amps in most projects, but think I might have to learn more about those FPGAs soon :-)

Both,Prof.Lutz and Prof.Cyril have subtly referred to the instances of studetns being busy with Cell phones,playing games,or taking snaps etc. while the class is going on. This is a Global Phenomenon,and we in India(in.Andhra Pradesh also, where I live) are finding it to happen,in spite of the steps being taken to curb it.To get these Devices deposited before the commencement of the classes and returning them after the classes are over,poses logistic problem and expenditure which generally the Administration is reluctant to bear.In spite of India being a not very Rich Country,the problem is not restricted only to Rich Pals but spread widely among many.We have the sad spectacle of some parents also supporting their wards on silly grounds.

Recently we came across a sad incident of a pre final B.Tech. student committing Suicide leaving a note saying he was being teased in Face Book by his friends with unpalatable material.

The lot of Girl students is unenviable with Love Messages and Proposals etc.shot at them, a sort of Ragging even though Ragging is strictly prohibited and punishable,it being defined as a criminal act.The burden of preventing it is laid on the shoulders of the Faculty who are helpless in the matter.

In addition,these devices interrupt the flow of the Lectures and disturb the classes.

I used to tell my students to use a part of the time with another Device,after the working hours,surfing on their Laptops or Desktops to search for useful Academic Material using good Search Engines,which act will enrich their knowledge. How much effect,this advice has,I do not know,but I can definitely say that the effect of this advice is not much perceptible.

I feel that Human nature,their ambitions and aspirations are the same any where in this Globe to whatever race or community they belong to.

This a Global Problem requiring Global Attention.

P.S.

Micro processors/Computers are havily invollved in day today life.It can used easily for meatring/instrumentation, control perameters and protection of systems.Only thing is if the input analog signal is degitise.Microcontrolers are cheaper, faster and very accurate compare to analog device very suitable for even wireless communication to control the device at far end useing modems.Fast accurate instumentation protection and control using microcontroler has revolutize the H.V generation/transmission which would not have been possible with analog device in elecrical engineering.There are very good scope of research in developing new technic based modules for fast accurate instrumentation protection and control using morden programing technique and changed hardware.

From above discussion it is obvious to put more weightage on digital subjects and computers(i.e digital signal processing technics/algrothams etc.)and morden mathmatics need for it.

No one of us disputes Prof.Bhupendra Desai's Remarks that, there is very good scope of research in developing new technically based modules for fast accurate instrumentation protection and control using modern programing technique and changed hardware.

We only want to point out that a better insight into the Analog Building Blocks will be an added advantage in such Design.

Kindly refer to our collateral discussion on another related separate question, "With the advent of Digital and Analog ICs, is the importance of Design of Analog Electronic Circuits getting Diminished? " posed by Prof. Pisupati Subramanyam.

This question has been incorporated in the present question itself by Prof.Cyril.

P.S.

Re Pisupati Subramanyam's comment:

"I feel that Human nature,their ambitions and aspirations are the same any where in this Globe to whatever race or community they belong to."

Yes, I had the same thought regarding the preoccupation of younger people with their mobile communications devices and social media - and also in some cases the sad consequences of its misuse. The same things happen here in the UK, which I am sure is no surprise to you. There is clearly something enabled by social media that corresponds with a universal human drive for social interaction.

As there are many experienced lecturers and teachers on this forum, perhaps it would be interesting to raise a question as to whether others have found effective ways to avoid the distraction of communications devices in formal teaching sessions (tutorial, classes, labwork and so on).

Holding classes inside a good Faraday cage perhaps ?? :-)

Referring to David Ashby,s suggestion, "Holding classes inside a good Faraday cage perhaps ?? " let me quote my experience.Some years back when I went to meet one of my relatives, a girl student undergoing Senior Intermediate class in one of the Reputed Institutes which was coaching the students simultaneously for Joint Entrance Examination for admission to Indian Institutes Of Technologies, I was permitted to meet the Principal in his Room, as I was a Technical Faculty and I had to wait till the end of that particular period to meet the girl without disturbing the class, in between two periods of Lectures.

Meanwhile, to my surprise, I found a person getting a boy student,along with his note book, to the Principal. When questioned by the Principal,the boy had to admit his mistake,because not only the scribblings in his notebook,but also a video clipping from C.C.T.V were produced as proof.Then I found that in addition to the screen displaying C.C.T.V. recordings of four different class rooms in four separate windows in the Principal's room , there was another person busy viewing such a screen in another room.

By the quoted statement, is such a strict atmosphere of learning expected?

Later we find that a good number of such students undergoing such a vigilant coaching,fail miserably in First year examinations in Engineering due to the New-found Freedom.

Then what is the possible good solution?

P.S.

Re Pisupati Subramanyam's question "is such a strict atmosphere of learning expected?" - of course, a Faraday cage (or screened room) would simply prevent mobile phones from maintaining their communications link with base stations - no need for CCTV or a strict regimen. It wouldn't stop games or 'off-line' activity, of course.

But it was a humorous suggestion, I was not being serious!

I am not a teacher, so I'm poorly qualified to suggest solutions - but perhaps there is another topic area on this forum (i.e., not Electronics and Communications Engineering) where this question might draw responses from more contributors.

One possible approach to the problem might be to devote more class time to 'active learning', where students have to complete tasks (quizzes, experiments, a calculation (which they might be asked to present to the rest of the class), lab work, or working on assignments in class), rather than spend their entire time passively absorbing material presented in a lecture (while actually fiddling with their mobile phones and not listening).

But the basic course material has to be studied at some time. If more class time is given to 'active learning', then it is likely that the student will need to study the basic course material outside the class as reading or study assignments to be completed in their own time. And that too, has its problems. How do you know that the students have completed the reading assignment?

I found some ideas and suggestions here:

http://www.calstatela.edu/dept/chem/chem2/Active/main.htm

and

http://scilit.uoregon.edu/scilit1/index_files/11-strategies-getting-students-to-read.pdf

I suspect that there are no easy answers. Ultimately, the motivation has to come from within the student, but a good teacher might help him to find that motivation. Motivations vary from individual to individual. Some may prefer to build things and produce an artefact that performs some function - so the motivation to study the basic theory for these individuals is, theory enables them to design the building blocks they need to to produce the end result.

Dear Daivd,

I am surprised that you are not a teacher; IMO the teacher is inside you! You can join the topics below:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_are_in_your_opinion_the_best_practices_for_motivating_undergraduate_students_and_thus_improve_attendance_to_the_lectures

https://www.researchgate.net/post/How_do_we_motivate_students_in_the_laboratory_What_is_more_important_there-the_technical_equipment_or_the_teachers_skills

Regards, Cyril

The materials suggested by David Ashby and Prof.Cyril are valuable and with good suggestions.These problems are the ones that are disturbing the Academic World as of late. But how far the suggestions of conducting Additional Active Learning will go well with today's Student Community? But still we may think of implementing,as there will be a small,miniscule group of students who may be willing to learn more than the prescribed content. Let us try.

I am also surprised to learn that David Ashby is not in Teacing line and is a Practicing Engineer. and Researcher.As he has got the attributes of a Teacher I would like to still call him Pro.David Ashby, and I think, our Professor Colleagues will have no objection.

P.S.

Agreed!

I maybe naive to comment because of my experience but to answer the original question.

I think it is allright for people to understand complex formulas and become informatics rather than spending years in understanding the real working of the digital world, because in my opinion by this way the world can see more quick progress. Its probably better for the business to flourish and we will end up getting the amazing gadgets that we have today faster. What I would mean is that some people need to be more robots than human to put it simply.

There will always be people who would be more curious to know more and will end up with the real knowledge of the truth behind the modern design, the information that the human generation has will never be lost because of the human curious nature.

I am myself an engineer and a researcher.

Dear Pisupati, Cyril,

You do me a great honour, and I thank you for your kind comments.

I think the thing all of us have in common (as contributors to these discussions and questions) is curiosity about the subject we are engaged with, either as teachers, practising engineers, or researchers. Our curiosity drives us to understand the subject more completely, find underlying common principles, and clarify our concepts while learning from others.

First, we have this curiosity in ourselves, but it does not end with that - next we find that we wish to communicate and discuss. This is how 'the teacher is inside' us. I certainly feel this is so with you and other contributors here.

The discussions have been thought-provoking, and cause one to re-visit old ideas (or things learnt a long time ago), and learn from another point of view.

Saurabh Kumar - regarding your thoughts about progress in technology - you might find much of interest in this discussion:

https://www.researchgate.net/post/With_the_advent_of_digital_and_analog_ICs_is_the_importance_of_design_of_analog_electronic_circuits_getting_diminished

How well you said it, Daivd! Thank you!

Cyril

David Ashby is right in saying that Curiosity and the Zeal to learn new things motivates us to take part in Research Gate Discussions.

How I wish the same attitude is cultivated in the Present Generation!

Of course some youngsters are exhibiting this trait.They should continue it even after they complete their Graduation or Research Work.

More and More Youngsters should follow suite.

P.S.

call for chapters - IGI Global Publisher https://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/3037

thank you Prof for the recommendation.

Dear Cyril,

welcome,

Hope you are well and your family.

I discovered that i followed this question without introducing no contribution to it.

The first comment is that you refer to my question in the research gate digital versus analog. Thank you for this

Yes the digitalization has huge impact on all sides of our life.In the center of this central change is the dominance of computing platforms with their diverse types in our life. Now one can easy communicate and search the web for information in all subjects of life. This is the revolution of communication and information. These two activities are basic for easy learning. The research gate which is the result of digital revolution itself is a huge world wide universal university.

In fact all electronic instruments and set ups became more and will be more intelligent saving tremendous human efforts, material and energy resources. This is because of the introduction of computers in its architecture.

This revolution is led by electronics in general and digital electronics in particular.

Best wishes

Have positive aspects and negative aspects

For example, negatively affect social skills