Seminar-Based Electromagnetics Education

In this paper, an innovative student seminar-based classroom practice is reported. The instructional process was illustrated by student-oriented theoretical inquiry of interested topics combined with traditional and emerging applications. Specifically, under the careful guidance of the instructor, every student or student group chose an EM topic of their interest and presented to the class; while other students or student groups were encouraged to pose questions and probe details that should be defended by the presenter. The class has been involved in various EM topics that allowed them to better grasp the significance of EM theory and gain physical insight into what could otherwise be a sea of mathematical manipulations. The student performance as a presenter and an interrogator was evaluated by both the instructor and the peer students. Other practical issues are discussed in the paper. Qualitative analysis showed that the seminarbased instruction enhanced the students’ interests in EM education, fostered their problem solving skills, and improved the learning experience.