Teaching Electromagnetics: Innovative Approaches and Pedagogical Strategies [Book Review

Abstract

This book aims at providing ideas and discussion points on the main contemporary challenges of undergraduate EM education, was perfectly timed. It consists of 13 chapters, partitioned into four main parts. The introductory part in Chapters 1 and 2 presents the book’s general motivation and philosophy; reviews the challenges in designing the EM curriculum, course syllabus, teaching environment, and learning experience; and motivates the development of tools and approaches for interactive and engaging learning. Following the outline in Chapter 1, the book focuses on the two primary axes of Kolb’s four-stage learning cycle: experiential and conceptual learning. The book’s second part (Chapters 3–6) focuses on the exper iential aspect. Chapter 3 explains the learning cycle and demonstrates it through a case study of an advanced course program that includes a progression of design and analysis project tasks, with various industrial outcomes. The examples of students’ projects and their feedback on the process are used to assess the approach’s effectiveness. Although carefully curated with a general philosophy in mind, the book does not advocate for one approach, nor does it impose a rigid teaching paradigm. It is more of a snapshot of contemporary thought on EM education and newly available teaching tools and techniques, suggested by peers, which serves as a substrate for further discussion. Indeed, my urge while the reading to bring up these topics with my colleagues immediately sparked some very passionate and intriguing conversations. Evidently, the book achieves its primary aim: to further the ever-continuing discussion among teachers and students on bettering education in our field.