Giving life to teaching introductory electromagnetics: a three-year assessment plan

Electromagnetics is a part of every electrical engineering curriculum and is typically taught in the second or the third year of the undergraduate program. At McGill University, this subject is offered every semester. A three-year investigation is planned. Its main objective is the improvement and evaluation of teaching electromagnetics. By adapting a three-pronged approach to assess and solve this problem, we intend: a) to employ concept mapping to situate the course within the rest of the curriculum; b) to use the advantages of technology to increase student interactivity; c) to introduce small group collaborative projects. We present how we plan to evaluate the impact of these strategies on student learning and student satisfaction. Initial results for the first semester of the plan are presented. The percentage of correct answers for each question helps us identify the introductory electromagnetics concepts which appear to be more difficult for students to conquer. Consequently, greater attention will be paid to these concepts within the subsequent improvement plan.