New Partially Flipped Electromagnetics Classroom Approach Using Conceptual Questions

We propose using Conceptual Questions to assess class pre-work and improve students' grasp of core concepts of the reading material, as well as facilitate problem-based learning, in electromagnetics classes of the junior year of the electrical engineering program. We also investigate the effectiveness and impact of a teaching method based on the combined use of Conceptual Questions and partially flipped classroom on students' academic performance in an electromagnetics course. Best practices in engineering education require the students to engage very intensely in the assigned pre-work, which must be meaningfully motivated and assessed. A general way to address this need is the use of Conceptual Questions, namely, multiple-choice questions that focus on understanding and mastery of core concepts in electromagnetics, while requiring no or very little calculations, in class pre-work. According to our approach, prior to each classroom meeting, students complete an online, timed quiz with a set of meticulously designed Conceptual Questions concerning the preassigned reading topics, which enables the implementation of a partially flipped classroom instruction of electromagnetics. This study discusses and evaluates such use of conceptual quizzes, with the impact on students' learning, attitude, and success, analyzed and assessed in multiple ways. Student performance on midterm and final exams and overall class scores (in a class with 83 students), including both the D/F/W and the A-level grade rates, as well as their results on the Electromagnetics Concept Inventory assessment instrument, have shown substantial improvements under the proposed method when compared to the traditional pedagogical approach of previous years. Overall, this is one of the most extensive applications of such questions in the electromagnetics area, and likely any electrical-engineering area.