An Experiential Learning Approach in Electromagnetics Education

Abstract

Electromagnetics provides the foundation for systems and components in wireless communications, transmission lines, radar, antennas, microelectronics, sensors, and so forth. While electromagnetics courses are usually an integral component of undergraduate electrical and electronics engineering education, the challenges encountered in the methodology and practice of electromagnetics teaching and learning are considerable. Several initiatives have been developed to move teaching from traditional face-to-face classes to practice-discovery sessions with the aim of engaging and retaining students. Some of these initiatives include project-based learning, problem-based learning, flipped learning, and experiential learning. With requirements of engineering practice before graduation for professional registration, it is important to provide undergraduate engineering students with the technical abilities and practical skills required in most workplaces. These skills may be developed by including activities that provide students with self-driven experiential learning opportunities. In this chapter, an experiential learning approach to electromagnetics courses is presented. To provide context, influential experiential learning paradigms by Dewey and Kolb will first be outlined, and their application to engineering education will be discussed. Following this, the structure of the electromagnetics course, along with examples of student work, is presented. Finally, an assessment of the effectiveness of the learning approach adopted in the course will be evaluated by means of student feedback.