Undergraduate electromagnetics laboratory: An invaluable part of the learning process

Abstract

A newly developed pair of undergraduate courses in applied electromagnetics (EM) has succeeded in transforming student attitudes towards EM from dread and avoidance to acceptance and appreciation. One concrete measure of this change is in the enrolment figures in follow-up courses in microwave circuits and microwave propagation-within one year, the enrolments have doubled in one of them and just about tripled in the other one. The new EM courses incorporate an integrative approach towards teaching EM phenomena; this includes a new text, a large number of class demonstrations, and a laboratory component consisting of nine laboratory exercises and a final team project. This paper focuses on design and content of the instructional laboratory and learning contribution it provides.