Prabhu Gaunkar, N., & Mina, M. (2018, June), Improvements in Undergraduate Electromagnetism Courses by Designing Experiences of Inquiry and Reflection   Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--30628

\bibitem{asee_peer_30628}
  Prabhu Gaunkar, N., \& Mina, M. (2018, June), \emph{Improvements in Undergraduate Electromagnetism Courses by Designing Experiences of Inquiry and Reflection }
  Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah.
  10.18260/1-2--30628

Neelam Prabhu Gaunkar and Mani Mina.  "Improvements in Undergraduate Electromagnetism Courses by Designing Experiences of Inquiry and Reflection ".  2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah, 2018, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2018.  https://peer.asee.org/30628 Internet.  22 Jul, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_30628}
  Neelam Prabhu Gaunkar and Mani Mina.
  "Improvements in Undergraduate Electromagnetism Courses by Designing Experiences of Inquiry and Reflection ".
  \emph{2018 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah, 2018, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2018.
  https://peer.asee.org/30628 Internet.  22 Jul, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_30628
author = "Neelam Prabhu Gaunkar and Mani Mina"
title = "Improvements in Undergraduate Electromagnetism Courses by Designing Experiences of Inquiry and Reflection "
booktitle = "2018 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition "
year = "2018"
month = "June"
address = "Salt Lake City, Utah"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/30628}
number = {10.18260/1-2--30628}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Undergraduate level electromagnetism courses are typically introduced in the junior year or once students have received formal training in vector calculus. However, a major part of the course involves physics-based concepts that relate to our everyday interactions with electronic devices. These concepts can be easily understood without high emphasis on mathematical formulation. However, it has been observed that many students treat the course as a purely mathematical exercise and fail to see connections between physical concepts and mathematical equations.

To address the connectivity gap between the physics-based concepts and mathematical formulation, reflection-based activities [1,2] were introduced in two electromagnetism courses. It is expected that reflective activities will encourage students to think about their learning and develop deeper connections between the physical concepts and the medium of communication. In one course mathematical formulations were emphasize along with the concepts while the other course emphasized the concepts without the rigor of vector calculus. Comparable reflective activities were provided in both the classes at different intervals during the semester. Student reflections were then analyzed using a phenomenological approach [3,4], categorizing student’s learning over the course of the semester.

Through this study several questions will be addressed. “Are reflective practices effective in bridging the gap between physics concepts and abstract mathematical formulation?” and  “Can improved connectivity lead to improvements in the student’s learning and perception of electromagnetism?”  and “What should we emphasise, concepts or formulation or both?”

[1]. Adams, Robin S., Jennifer Turns, and Cynthia J. Atman. "Educating effective engineering designers: The role of reflective practice." Design studies 24, no. 3 (2003): 275-294.

[2]. Mina, Mani, Iraj Omidvar, and Kathleen Knott. "Learning to think critically to solve engineering problems: Revisiting John Dewey’s ideas for evaluating engineering education." Retrieved January 5 (2003): 2004.

[3]. Entwistle, Noel. "Introduction: Phenomenography in higher education." Higher Education Research & Development 16, no. 2 (1997): 127-134.

[4]. Walsh, Eleanor. "Phenomenographic analysis of interview transcripts." Phenomenography (2000): 19-33.


AU  - Neelam Prabhu Gaunkar
AU  - Mani Mina
CY  - Salt Lake City, Utah
DA  - 2018/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Improvements in Undergraduate Electromagnetism Courses by Designing Experiences of Inquiry and Reflection 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/30628
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--30628
ER  -