Session 3632

A New Approach in Teaching Electromagnetism: How to Teach EM to All

Levels from Freshman to Graduate and Advanced-Level Students
Norman Anderson and Mani Mina
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Iowa State University

1. Introduction

1.1. Historical perspective

James Clerk Maxwell provided a unified field formulation of electromagnetism in 1873 with his
famous “Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism.”1 From the beginning he explained the field was
made of a set of observed phenomena, fundamental concepts governing electromagnetism (EM),
and mathematical formulations to help the patron utilize and manipulate the concepts in order to
explain observed phenomena. Consequently, the mathematical nature of electromagnetism has
been an inseparable part of the subject from the beginning. It should be noted that Maxwell
himself spends considerable effort in his treatise clearly describing fundamental concepts,
observed phenomena, and measurements rather than explaining the detail of the mathematics
(which used to be the calculus of quaternion). Then in the first part of the 20th century, Oliver
Heaviside and Heinrich Hertz,2 in a practical attempt to make the field more applicable and
powerful, introduced the modern vector calculus-based presentation of electromagnetism;
however, the basic approach to teaching electromagnetism has remained fundamentally the
same. The field is still broken into three major entities, which are the observed phenomena,
concepts summarized in Maxwell’s equations and the Lorentz force equation, and the
mathematical formulation of these concepts. Despite the subject being highly conceptual and
phenomenological in nature, during most of the 20th century EM has been taught with heavy
emphasis on the mathematics and fundamental constructs, with a more or less anecdotal
approach to the observed phenomena and practical side. It is for this reason that we suggest a
new approach to teaching electromagnetism in which the emphasis of concepts and phenomena
is strengthened in an attempt to increase the understanding of a typical electrical engineering
student.

1.2. The method of teaching EM in history and the present

In general, presenting and understanding the mathematical constructs of EM is a major task for
most engineering students. In fact, even the simplified mathematical approach that assumes
perfect plane waves and idealized systems (without any outside interference or external forces)3
involves specialized manipulations that are not trivial for most students of EM. Now adding to
this the observed phenomena, the level of complexity of learning is considerably compounded.
Many tools have since been developed to help both researchers and students understand the
subject, apply them to complicated geometries, and visualize the electromagnetic phenomena for
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specialized specifications. Perhaps the most interesting tools have been the computer-aided
programs to visualize the fields and to solve realistic problems numerically.

Consequently, a quick review of the development of electromagnetism reveals that our

fundamental approach to teaching the subject has not fundamentally changed since the days of
Maxwell. With the addition of vector calculus, the subject is approached more clearly with
logical mathematical manipulations; however, with this addition the level of mathematics was
raised considerably. As a result, most electromagnetic classes have become heavily involved
with mathematical approaches and proofs, leaving understanding behind. Currently,
electromagnetism in electrical engineering is considered to be the most difficult class that any
undergraduate can take. Despite the fact that it is the most fundamental knowledge base that
originally created the field of electrical engineering, students believe that it is a non-practical,
mathematically saturated, and abstract subject. Unfortunately, very few students either know
enough about the field to enjoy it or see the importance of the subject in their everyday lives as
professional engineers. At the same time, most of the new computer-based packages are
designed to help only advanced users and not the introductory or intermediate users who could
greatly benefit from such tools.

1.3. The current problems

Today, due to the rapid development of the field, higher-speed electronics, and optical systems,
there is a definite need for electrical, computer, and system engineers to be familiar with the
fundamental concepts of EM. Based on this new demand, the authors feel that it is a great time to
revise our approach to teaching electromagnetism. The question then is how can this be done
effectively? In this paper we propose a fresh approach for teaching the subject of EM. This
approach focuses on the teaching of the governing physics of electromagnetism and decouples
the advanced mathematics from the physics of the subject.

We believe by doing so the instructor will spend more time with the concepts in EM. Then,
depending on the level of the students, one can utilize the currently available tools such as
Mathematica and MATLAB to help students learn the mathematical manipulations as well as the
computational part of the field. This will allow students to learn by discovering and inquiring in
a non-threatening learning environment. We believe that in this environment the student will be
able to thrive in a subject that has long been dreaded.

1.4. Brief idea of solution

By decoupling mathematics from the physics of EM, lectures can be more focused on conveying
to students the conceptual nature of EM and give them a good understanding of the field. It is the
hope of the authors that this strong conceptual footing will aid students later in problem solving
and physically realizable phenomena. It is generally the lack of EM understanding that makes it
so abstract and causes the mathematics to appear difficult. By allowing students to learn by
discovery in a non-threatening environment, we believe that students will become better long-
term engineers and life long learners.
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1.5. What we see in the paper

In this paper we first introduce the traditional ways of teaching and presenting EM to the
students and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional method as well as why we
propose to change it. Then the proposed new method is introduced and discussed. This is
followed by a typical lecture using the proposed method where the highlights and general
approach of the lecture are discussed together with some of the MATLAB/Mathematica tools
and units. Finally the premise of the new methods, issues, and concerns are discussed, followed
by concluding remarks and future work.

2. Traditional Approaches

2.1. The general premise

Traditionally, introductory EM course goals are to teach concepts and basic mathematical
formulation in order for students to see the importance and application of the laws of EM and
provide the background necessary for an advanced study of the subject. In this manner, the
students should be able to explain the concepts behind Maxwell's equations and apply them to
simplified situations. These EM courses are also designed with the purposes of teaching students
how to utilize models based on physical concepts in order to solve realistic problems and of
giving students the ability to examine results, answers, and expected outcomes based on
fundamental concepts. In this way students should learn how to apply their basic knowledge to
more realistic applications in a way that they may be able to engage in research or industrial
applications. Students who know the fundamental concepts and are able to demonstrate their
knowledge in simplified applications are considered successful EM students. Figure 1 depicts the
major premise of the traditional approach to EM training.

2.2. Pros and cons

A course based on these goals gives students a great and highly mathematical, conceptual, and
theoretical background to the subject. Students also get to examine generalized models and
consider the application of these models in the solutions to more complex problems. The goals
set forth also provide students with a sense of the strength of the field and the essence of the true
historical development of EM. Perhaps the most important outcome of typical EM classes is to
show students that by utilizing abstract concepts with the right mathematical tools one is able to
examine, explain, and formulate practical applications. However, this notion is usually only
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 Traditional Methods for Teaching
Electromagnetism

Goals Strengths Weaknesses

•Teach concepts •Highly mathematical •Not practical at the beginning

•Teach basic equations •Highly conceptual •Most of the emphasis is on
•Teach basic mathematical formulation •Highly theoretical mathematical methods
•Practice the laws and see their importance •Looks at generalized models •Math can stop students from excelling
and usefulness •Uses examples to see practicality • Very little emphasis on in-depth physics
•Provide appreciation of the subject and •Shows the strength of the field •Bound to problems that are more
expansion •Shows the essence of the true or less nice to handle
•Provide the background for advanced R&D historical development •Does not emphasize numerical approaches
•Teach approaches to utilize models •Shows how by utilizing abstract concepts till the advanced level
based on physical concepts to teach realistic one can explain/formulate practical issues •Only utilizes very specialized tools
problems •Has very little pictorial conceptual understanding
• Obtain ability to examine results, answers, and
expected outcomes based on the fundamental
concepts

Figure 1. The traditional approach of an EM education.

2.3. Why is there a need to change?

While students acquire many valuable and important skills based on the goals of a classic EM
course, the manner in which a classic EM course is taught does not fulfill these goals completely.
One weakness in the classical teaching approach is its abstract nature without many practical
considerations to begin with. This can often detract from a typical engineering student's desire to
learn the fundamental concepts needed to understand practical issues and in many cases pushes a
generally good, practical, and enthusiastic student to the back of the pack. Additionally,
traditional courses in EM tend to put an extreme amount of attention on mathematics instead of
in-depth physical understanding of electromagnetic fields, their manifestations, and their
applications. It is rare even for some of the experienced instructors to have a practical picture in
their mind of what is happening in many complicated problems. So, in order to get to the answer,
one needs to lean heavily on the mathematics. We have seen in many cases that the mathematical
presentations stop very bright and practically oriented students from excelling, even if the
student has an amazing conceptual understanding of the subject. Due to the mathematical
formulations used, problems are generally constrained to be fairly nice to handle with closed
form solutions in most cases, and little or no attention is paid to numerical approaches until
advanced-level courses. This emphasis on mathematical formulation over conceptual
understanding is the essence of the EM teaching methodologies in most of the 20th century.
Consequently, EM has become a very difficult and unimpressive subject to many of today's
engineering students.
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Many experienced educators would argue that the most fundamental knowledge base that is
required for EM is the conceptual understanding, which is based on physical aspects of the field.
The mathematical formulation should help enhance our capabilities of utilizing the concepts and
should not be treated as the concept. This is certainly the treatment that is followed in the famous
“Feynman Lectures on Physics.”3 The first and utmost item is the understanding of the physics
and then the utilization of the mathematics to help solve more advanced problems.

3. The Proposed Approach

3.1. What is the basic idea (lecture and discovery introduced here)?

The new approach to teaching EM is just that—a new approach to teaching. The goals remain
the same, but the method by which these goals are conveyed is different. According to our
experience gathered by enrolling in an array of EM classes in physics and engineering
disciplines, the required mathematics for advanced EM is much more digestible after the student
knows the fundamental physics, units, and concepts that govern EM theory. Take a ring thrower
for example—by playing with it and even trying to build it, one has a keener sense of
understanding and using the required mathematics for Faraday’s law. Indeed the most difficult
aspects of EM training are understanding the concepts and ideas and communicating the
concepts with words to explain theories such as flux, electric field, inductance, etc. Some of the
modern education theories also emphasize the usage of the common language as one of the
fundamental means of learning.4

In recent years there have been some noteworthy attempts to present new approaches to EM
education, and in many of them the concepts of utilizing the numerical packages such as
MATLAB, CAD systems, and other visualization systems and numerical tools have been
proposed.5-15 In this paper we try to present an approach to modularize the entire teaching
concept and provide a unified platform that can be utilized, augmented, and detailed for all
student levels from introductory to advanced students. Figure 2 depicts the general idea of the
proposed approach.

Here we see that the mathematics is decoupled from physical understanding. Especially for
engineering students, this approach will provide a valuable practical extension. We can teach the
students more practical issues as well as instrumentation and measurement issues, which can
help the typical engineering students see the purpose of the mathematics that are involved. In the
same way, students will also be able to see the importance of EM in their professional and
everyday lives. Consequently, students will be motivated and interested in EM before receiving
the mathematical constructs needed to solve classical EM problems.
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 •Teach concepts
•Teach basic equations
•Teach basic mathematical formulation
•Practice the laws and see their importance
and usefulness
New Approach for Teaching Goal •Provide appreciation of the subject and expansion
Electromagnetism •Provide the background for advanced R&D
•Teach approaches to utilize models
based on physical concepts to teach realistic
problems
• Obtain ability to examine results, answers, and
expected outcomes based on the fundamental
concepts

Physical Understanding Mathematical Detail

Application and Classical problems Numerical methods

Concepts/definitions
measurement and approaches
Symmetries
Closed form problems

Computer-aided
Result examination
Tools
process
Checking answers
Thinking about what we expect
Examining your process and findings
Testing and evaluation
•Is the result physical
of the results
•What did we expect/ and what do we see
•What does it mean

Figure 2. A proposed approach for teaching electromagnetics to students of all levels.

3.2. Pros and cons

In doing this, the introduction of the traditional mathematics will come later, but the mathematics
and the most important mathematical concepts will not be eliminated. The goal of this form of
teaching is to eliminate the need for students to have to learn mathematical tricks and spend lots
of time solving integral/differential equations. Students can then utilize mathematical packages
in order to solve these types of equations. Instead, this form of teaching will then make students
think critically as to how to utilize their fundamental understanding to solve problems
conceptually on paper and then use the computer to perform the more rigorous calculations. In
this way, students learn the concepts and not just mathematics. For example, instead of teaching
the student the detail, derivation of the curl and divergence, and asking them to do many
problems by hand to master these operations, we would explain the operations, show them the
derivation, but ask them to use the tools and see what the operations of curl and divergence do to
some of the typical fields that are used in electromagnetics. Students then become familiar with
the result of what these operations do and hence understand the meaning of these operations but
do not become obsessed with how to perform them.

EM classes could then be broken up into lecture and practice-discovery sessions. During the
lecture, concepts would be discussed and problem-solving skills addressed. The instructor would
then be able to spend more time with the fundamentals, applications, and particular details of the
subject. In the practice-discovery sessions, the student would then become familiar with current
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mathematical packages and see electromagnetics first hand through demonstration and
measurement.

3.2. The concept of lecture and discovery session

This is indeed replacing the traditional recitation section. In traditional recitation sections, the
emphasis is to show examples and answer one-to-one questions. In practice-discovery sessions,
we will do examples and answer questions; however, the purpose of the class is to promote the
concepts, which reemphasizes the issues covered in the lecture by specific demonstration, letting
students participate, do, and even create their own demonstrations, as well as showing them how
to work with tools such as Mathematica, Matlab, Pspice etc. It is important for the students to
know what we are looking for with these packages and how they can become a part of the
students’ toolsets for their whole carriers.

In the practice-discovery sessions, most attention would be spent teaching students how to use
computer-based tools in order to solve problems. Mathematical packages for functions such as
Div, Curl, Grad, etc. would be provided to the students who would then use these packages in
order to solve simple EM problems at first. This computational part of the lab could then be
expanded so students could use finite-element or finite-difference algorithms in order to solve
EM problems with no closed form solutions. This computational section would help in easing the
mathematical nature of classical EM courses as well as better preparing students for higher-level
classes in EM and other computational courses. It should be noted that typical flux problems can
be set up, examined, the answers tested, units analyzed, and solutions plotted easily.

4. A Typical Lecture

4.1. The lecture and discovery session concepts

A typical lecture would begin with the introduction of a new concept. Its historical discovery and
importance would be noted first, giving students a sense of the accomplishment and an idea of
how things are discovered. The concept would then be explained in words, when possible using a
visual model, so the students could have a foundation of what is being presented to them. A
derivation, if applicable, would then be carried out to show students the formulation of the result
to better help their understanding; however, students would do no derivations at the early stages.
It would then be necessary to explain where the topic of the day could be useful in everyday life
and applications. Finally, to conclude, a discussion and example of how to apply the concept
mathematically would be carried out without emphasizing heavy mathematical detail. The
rigorous mathematics would be left to the practice-discovery portion of the class. In this way,
students would learn and know how to apply EM concepts to different situations without having
to contribute large amounts of time to work through the mathematics. Problems would still be
assigned in class, but those where complex integrals or extremely heavy computation are needed
would be left to the practice-discovery session.

In the practice-discovery session, concepts from the lecture would be used to solve more
complex problems. In certain cases, such as the beginning of such a course, general computer
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functions and tools would be addressed. The laboratory would then mainly consist of a set of
problems for students to solve along with an out-of-class assignment. Mathematical packages
such as MATLAB and Mathematica could then be used to solve problems such as Gauss' law
and boundary value problems. Other cadence-type programs could also be used in conjunction to
look at transmission-line problems and magnetic circuits. In this manner, students would learn
how to be problem solvers instead of allowing their doubts in mathematics to hinder their
thinking process. They would also be exposed to high-level computation and simulation
packages necessary for research and professional careers.

In addition to the computational part of the practice-discovery sessions, a demonstration or

measurement would be added to each meeting. These demonstrations would be used to either
illustrate a concept visually or to show how quantities are physically measured. Many students
often complain that EM is not really applicable to their hands-on, everyday experiences as
engineers. Many say this because they cannot visualize the things they are doing in class. In fact,
it is not easy to see an EM wave. The purpose of these demonstrations and measurements is to
give a "real world" feeling to fundamental EM concepts. This also helps the conceptual learning
because instead of always being given a wave or charge distribution to start with, the student see
how these starting conditions were or can be determined through measurement.

After the students have seen some of the effects of the mathematical treatment and practice-
discovery sessions to experience and visualize flux calculations, the lectures can introduce more
steps containing rigorous mathematics. It should be noted that in the more advanced classes the
level of questioning, detail of the methodology, more complicated transformations, lossy and
non-ideal cases, anisotropy media, realistic numerical applications, creation of new computer-
aided operations, visualization, as well as advanced animations and wave propagation modeling
can all fit into the category of what is necessary to do as the student becomes more advanced. At
the introductory level, the students use the given tools and commands to see, feel, explore, and
visualize; and as they become more advanced they can question the tools, look at more
complicated tool development capabilities, and work with multiple tool platforms to enhance
their knowledge. These have always been some of the most important goals for advanced
courses, but they usually take some time to start up. By exposing students to a higher conceptual
and computer-based course, the advanced student is better prepared to begin these activities.

4.2. What a typical lecture looks like

The following is a typical lecture for a 1.5-hour class. The lecture notes indicate the key points
and ideas. The notes also identify how the concepts can be expanded for the introductory and
advanced-level classes. It can be seen that while the concepts are the same, the depth and
mathematical sophistication varies greatly between the different levels. At the very introductory
level, terminology is mostly used along with general graphs. The advanced level indeed looks
like current advanced-level classes. At the advanced level, the treatment of mathematical
sophistication is more advanced using numerical techniques to look at non-ideal systems.

1. Start the lecture with a discussion: How do we know if there is an electric field in a
region of space?
Intro. level: Think about what you know from physics.
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 Relate Electric field and electric potential.
Adv. level: Work with concept of E field and definition of unit charge, and relate
that to force, measurement of force, measurement of potential, etc.

2. The Lorentz force

A significant law r r r v
An equation to remember
A basis for definitions of E and B
F = q( E + v xB)
E is electric field intensity in V/m.
• It is defined as the force per unit charge.
B is the magnetic flux density in Tesla=Wb/m2.
• One can see that it defines the force per unit charge, which is moving in unit
velocity perpendicular to the field
Intro level: Units SI
Adv. Level: o Does magnetic field do any real work according to Lorentz force
equation?
o Unites in EM SI, MKS, CGS, Georgian

3. Maxwell’s equations in integral form in words

• The flux of electric field intensity (E) through any closed surface = the net charge
inside the closed surface /ε0
• The flux of magnetic flux density (B) through any closed surface = 0.
• Circulation of electric field intensity (E) around any close path C = time rate
change of the magnetic flux through a surface that has C as the edge.
• Circulation of magnetic flux density (B) around a close path C = (flux of electric
current through a surface that has C as the edge)m + (time rate change of the
electric flux through the surface S, which as C as the edge) ε0.
Demonstration: Ring thrower and class explanation
Intro level: Provide 3D picture of these.
Adv. level: Provide integral, forms and discuss linear,
homogeneous, and isotropic issues in integral form.
Discussion: VLSI and electronic design, as the speed goes up, the wavelength of
the EM phenomena reduces and one can see that at high speeds there is EM
interaction, compatibility, and immunity to worry about.
Adv level: Discuss connectors, conductors, and PCB level lines;
add circuit elements and discuss the reactions.

4. Maxwell’s contribution is in red. At first glance it does not seem to be much, but that
small term changes the nature of these equations. With his contribution, Faraday and
Ampere’s laws show coupled wave equation characteristics.

5. Before Maxwell: Faraday-Ampere are coupled diffusion equations.

After Maxwell: Faraday-Ampere are coupled wave equations
Intro. level: Discuss wave equation and wave phenomena
Adv. level: Discuss wave and diffusion, the relationships, compare and contrast
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 6. Definition of flux and circulation
The equations are in general two groups.
Group 1: The flux laws dealing with net flux through closed surfaces.
Group 2: The circulation equations dealing with circulation along a closed path
that are related to the flux through surfaces with closed paths as the
edge.
How are they defined (typical fields for flux and circulation are discussed and
demonstrated)?
Adv. level: Relate to some mechanical systems with mass flow, etc.

7. Flux
Flux of a vector is defined as how much of the vector is going through a given surface. It
is usually defined with respect to a given surface. How much of a field goes into the
surface? That means (will be demonstrated by pictures) to find how much is
perpendicular through the surface.
Student would need to practice with radial, circular, direct field.
Think of other fields and their flux.
Circulation
If a field has circulation along a given path, that means the field will have net flow that
adds together along the given path. One way to visualize it is to think of a field as a fluid.
If there is circulation for a given path, that means that if the path was replaced by flexible
pipe there would be flow in a direction in the pipe.
Students need to visualize circulation and how it works, how radial and constant fields
have circulation, etc.
Intro. level: See pictorial ideas, what these mean, use MATLAB functions and
given fields
Adv. level: Look into the way these functions are written and see numerical
computations of the integral forms

8. Is circulation path dependent? Yes, of course it is. Class discussion at the two levels.
With pictorial examples with MATLAB.

9. Infinitesimal (differential) view of circulation and flux

Discuss flux and circulation as addition of small contributions so that it is the net of all
area patches of field along the small part of the path. Show them the integral forms and
how helpful it is to use mathematical terminology.

10. Div (point flux) and curl (point circulation)

This should follow by the definition of div and curl and how they are related to the flux
and circulation. Examples can be provided with different fields.

11. What did Maxwell know? Reading from Maxwell and his definitions of the calculus of
quaternian.

12. How did the new EM come about? Who is responsible for the new formulation?
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 Discussion and introduction of Heaviside and Hetz formulation and how the new vector
forms came about.
At this point we will show Maxwell’s equations before the new formulation, the way
Maxwell did them, and the same equations with the new formulation. Students would see
and agree that the new form is more compact, easier to use, and a more advanced
presentation.
Adv. level:
• Read the original Hertz and Heaviside ideas and papers and see
the development of the modern vector formulation. Compare and
contrast the form in the early part of the 20th century and now.
• Also look at some of the developments in Einstein’s famous paper
that introduced special theory of relativity.

13. Final thought for the day

Intro. level: Can a field have both point circulation and divergence at the same point?
Why and why not?
Adv. level: Review of the units SI, MKS, CGS, and Georgian and discuss why were
each popular.

4.3 What kinds of examples would we see in a discovery session

A typical discovery session would last about 2 hours and cover closely the concepts discussed in
the lecture with more emphasis on the mathematical concepts and visualization. Here we show a
few examples for the above lecture plan. It should be noted that the following is for the
introductory level discovery session.

1. Determine the vector field of the following fields and discuss their circulation properties.
r v
Fa = a y .
The following is a plot of the vector field rendered by Mathematica. Once the students define
the vectors the way we have indicated, they can use curl and div operations on the defined vector
fields.

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If we look along the path given by the arrows we see that for this field there is not circulation,
which verifies the 0 curl.

2. Next we look at an x dependent field propagating in the y-direction given by

r v
Fb = xa y .
The following is then a plot of this vector field.

If we look along the path given in this figure we see a noticeable counterclockwise circulation of
v
the field. Interestingly, the curl of this field is calculated as a z .
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3. The next example looks at an x dependent field pointing in the x-direction and given by
r v
Fc = xa x .

Here we see that the field diverges in both directions from zero. In this case, one can see that
there is no point circulation, so there is no curl. However, there is a divergence of the field.

4. In the following example we look at another x dependent field pointing in the z-direction
v v
given by Va = 2 xa z .

The following is a 3-dimensional plot of the vector field.

y
x
Here we see a circulation of the field along the blue path in the xz-plane, but no circulation along
the black path in the yz-plane. This shows that the circulation of the field is indeed path
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Finally there will also be demonstrations in order to give students a physical interpretation of the
concepts seen in class. For this particular session a demonstration of the Lorentz force is done
using a current carrying wire and magnet to exhibit the force felt by the current (which are also
moving charges). In addition, the ring thrower demonstrated in class will be taken apart in the
session. Consequently, the students will see how this device was constructed and what principles
of EM were used to develop this device. In this way students gain a more practical view of EM
and the principles.

In the advanced level discovery session, the students would be focusing on the detailed
mathematical operations. Utilization of mathematical tools will be at the level of writing
functions to do the curl, divergence, and other operation in different coordinate systems and
utilizing the tool for better visualization. In addition, in the advanced discovery session students
would be required to utilize the tools to set up known numerical models for examining special
geometries. This session will also include demonstrations. We utilize microwave and antenna
systems and measurements for demonstration tools. Students would see how a network analyzer
would be used to see the matching, phase, and gain/loss effects. We also would show the
students the principles and typical applications and utilization of time domain reflectometer.

4.4. The concept of lecture and discovery session

One of the most practical and interesting aspects of this approach is the fact that the tools can be
interchanged as well. While many in microwave propagation need to visualize wave propagation
with sources, boundary conditions, and lossy media, etc., those in microwave hardware and
measurement need to utilize PSpice and other tools. The point is that it is no longer necessary to
make EM students become mathematicians. Currently there are computer driven packages to aid
in multiple types of calculations so that a mathematical background should no longer hinder
creative and inventive electrical engineers. This also provides students with varying interests and
useful skills for future endeavors.

5. The New Premise

5.1. What we are trying to do

We believe that this approach to teaching EM will give students a strong fundamental
background of EM, create better problem solvers, and better prepare students for advanced EM
courses. Students would have a more historical and applied perspective to the subject.
Consequently, they would have a more in-depth appreciation of the concepts and applications. At
the same time, the atmosphere in which EM is being taught to them will be less threatening and
will promote a more questioning and discovery type learning. It is our belief that this type of
learning will promote lifelong learning and create better prepared engineers.

In addition, this method does help students who perform greatly in the traditional classes and get
top grades; however, in more standard tests such as the GRE or some of the company entrance
tests they do not perform as well. Our experience shows that in most cases such students have
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great capabilities in mathematical rigor; however, they do not have enough practice in thinking
systematically from the fundamentals and therefore building their knowledge logically. With the
proposed model, from the first day the concepts are emphasized, and as the students become
more advanced, the same fundamentals are reemphasized together with the traditional basics.
Our experience shows that the students will have a better appreciation for the mathematics and
will do better in conceptual tests.

5.2. Why do we think this is going to be a better approach?

This approach covers the fundamental concepts from the earliest level of EM and builds on top
of the concepts. The new approach is like painting a whole picture first with very basic
highlights and then adding the detail. As the level of sophistication increases, the level of detail
under the concepts also increases. In this way we are constantly adding to what students already
know. The novice student learns about what EM is all about and the major areas that EM entails,
while the advanced student learns about special cases and other factors contributing to basic EM.

Many mathematical tools, concepts, and approaches are really special applications of the major
concepts of EM. There are historical reasons for them to be developed and this method will put
into perspective the importance of these mathematical applications of EM.

5.3. What type of reaction is expected?

First of all, the subject will be more applicable to other fields so we will see more students with
more diverse backgrounds interested in the subject. No longer will EM be a subject that is
avoided but a necessary knowledge base for other electrical engineering classes. Due to the
emphasis on using computational software, students will become familiar with numerical and
mathematical tools and will be able to use them for their careers in engineering as well as other
classes. Finally, because of the freedom in learning and variety of examples and learning
opportunities, we will see more conceptual thinking rather than manipulation to get the answers.
All in all, we believe students will become more satisfied with their EM education and become
better engineers for it.

5.4. General areas of concern

Many instructors and programs are not comfortable with this method of teaching and, if not done
right, with a large-scale perspective it will not be very useful. Most instructors confuse
mathematical rigor with mathematical/physical understanding. Consequently, one may not cover
the definitions of curl, div, etc., due to the possible mathematical rigor. In this program, the
concepts of mathematics will be covered but the details that are confusing and threatening to
most students will be spelled out to give students a better conceptual understanding and provide
practical reasons for the methods to be learned.

In many programs, the authors fear the use of MATLAB and Mathematica is to create courses
that are solely based on tricks with the tools and to show the students all the great, cool ways of
using those programs. The line between the correct use that emphasizes concepts, visualization,
and understanding of the field as opposed to methods, function lists, and ways to advance
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 2003, American Society for Engineering Education
MATLAB or Mathematica programming is very fine. Methods of programming may be used in
very advanced classes but should be avoided in the introductory classes. The purpose is to
provide the students with a more interesting, integrated, and creative environment to enhance
their thinking and visualization and enable them to freely engage in the process of inquiry,
discovery, examination, and enhancement of their knowledge base. It is this ability to become a
motivated free thinker that gives students the tools to become lifelong learners, which in turn
produces better long-term engineers. This ultimate goal of producing better long-term results
necessitates a change in teaching strategies.

Finally, it is clear that the same method can be applied to provide the right conceptual
understanding for students who are not interested in the mathematics of the subject and only
require a general conceptual understanding of the subject and related applications such as
industrial managers, product designers, and testers. These applications will never require any
field or flux type calculations but will require the general conceptual knowledge to make
educated decisions about electromagnetic problems and equipment. Having an introductory
course that stresses this conceptual importance will greatly help electrical engineers who may not
have a career in EM but who will need to be able to understand electromagnetic concepts in
order to be effective in an industrial occupation.

6. Conclusion

In this paper we propose a new approach for teaching a mathematical field such as
electromagnetics to engineering students. Perhaps, utilizing this approach, one can truly follow
the more creative approaches in the traditional EM classes that have been presented by
Feynman,3 Shin and Kong,16 Cheng,17 and others. These books first attempt to cover Maxwell’s
equations and give the student a taste of the whole picture, then work on the detail and more
traditional aspects of EM such as electrostatics and electromagnetics. Traditionally, this method
is not favored since the mathematics required for the generalized Maxwell’s equations are more
complicated than for static cases; this causes students to have major hurdles to overcome before
they can treat Maxwell's equations. In the new approach, these major hurdles are quickly
overcome by the use of mathematical packages to treat complicated mathematics, thereby
allowing us to follow a more creative approach to teaching EM.

7. References

1. Maxwell, J. C. Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1904.

2. Nahin, P. J. OLIVER HEAVISIDE: The Life, Work, and Times of an Electrical Genius of the Victorian Age,
John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2002.
3. Feynman, R. P., Leighton, B. L., and Mathew, S. Feynman Lectures on Physics, Addison-Wesley
Publication Company, 1963.
4. Dewey, J., Logic: The Theory of Inquiry, 1938.
5. Rosenbaum, F. J., Vu, T. B., Vander Vorst, A., de Salles, A. A. A., Mao, Y., El-Khamy, S. E., Wiesbeck,
W., Mukherji, K. C., Shapira, J., Yamashita, E., Shugerov, V., Malherbe, J. A. G., Gardiol, F. E., and
Parini, C. G. “Teaching electromagnetics around the world: A survey,” IEEE Transactions on Education,
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Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright
 2003, American Society for Engineering Education
 6. Voltmer, D. R., and Garner, D. “A new direction for undergraduate electromagnetics,” Frontiers in
Education Conference, 1998, FIE '98, 28th Annual, Vol. 2, 4-7 Nov 1998, pp.535-539.
7. Bennett, W. S. “Electromagnetics must be freed from abstract mathematics,” Frontiers in Education
Conference, 2001, 31st, Vol. 3, 2001, pp. S1E-S11.
8. Iskander, M. F. “Computer utilization in teaching concepts: is it reality or illusion? “Antennas and
Propagation Society International Symposium, 1990, AP-S, 'Merging Technologies for the 90's,' Digest,, 7-
11 May 1990, pp.1490-1492.
9. Hoburg, J. F. “Can computers really help students understand electromagnetics education,” IEEE
Transactions on Education, Vol. 36, Iss.1, Feb 1993, pp. 119-122.
10. Ioan, D., and Munteanu, I. “Symbolic computation with Maple V for undergraduate electromagnetics
education,” IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol. 44, Iss. 2, May 2001, pp. 3.
11. Voltmer, D. R. “Undergraduate electromagnetics: a new paradigm,” Proceedings of Frontiers in Education
Conference, 1995, Vol. 2, 1-4 Nov 1995, pp. 4b6.5.
12. Whites, K. W. “Visual electromagnetics for MathCAD(R): A computer-assisted learning tool for
undergraduate electromagnetics education,” Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium,
1998, IEEE, Vol. 4, 21-26 June 1998, pp. 2288-2291.
13. DeLyser, R. R. “Using MathCAD in electromagnetics education,” IEEE Transactions on Education, Vol.
39, Iss. 2, May 1996, pp.198–210.
14. Fabrega, J., Sanz, S., and Iskander, M. F. “New software packages and multimedia modules for
electromagnetics education,” Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 1998, IEEE,
Vol. 4, 21-26 June 1998, pp. 2292-2295.
15. Speciale, R. A. “Computation and graphic visualization of plane-wave K-space spectra and far-field pattern
with MATLAB 4.0,” Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 1995, AP-S, Digest,
Vol. 2, 18-23 June 1995, pp. 1090.
16. Shen, L. C., and Kong, J. A. Applied Electromagnetism, PWS Publishing Company, Boston, 1987.
17. Cheng, D. K. Field and Wave Electromagnetics, Addison-Wesley Company, 1989.
18. Redfern, D., and Campbell, C. The MATLAB 5 Handbook, Springer, 1998.

Biographical Information

MANI MINA is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa
State University. He has been a recipient of several teaching and research awards. His research interests include
optical networking and communication and innovative methods of teaching technology. He is an active member of
IEEE and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT).

NORMAN ANDERSON is a graduate student in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa
State University. He is the recipient of a graduate fellowship and is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and the
American Physical Society. His research interests include growth and characterization of novel materials,
Josephson junction calculations, and methods of teaching technology.

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Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright
 2003, American Society for Engineering Education