Proceeding of st The 1 International Joint Conference Indonesia-Malaysia-Bangladesh-Ireland 2015 Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, 27-28 April 2015, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Teaching and Learning on Selected Topics in Electromagnetic Theory Course Using Problem-Based Learning Approach in a Class with a Large Number of Students: A Sharing Experience 1,a
S. R. Kasjoo, 1,bM. N. Mohd Yasin, 1,cW. M. Wan Nor Haimi & 1,dM. R. Zakaria
1
School of Microelectronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia, a
[email protected] b
[email protected] c
[email protected] d
[email protected]
Abstract. Currently, the problem-based learning (PBL) approach at higher learning institutions has been widely implemented in many education fields including engineering in order to enhance WKH VWXGHQWV¶ knowledge, skills and attitude. In this report, the concept of PBL using a module known as 5 Ladders of Active Learning, has been utilized and used (to a certain extent) in the teaching and learning for 218 students on selected topics in Electromagnetic Theory course offered at the School of Microelectronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis. Based on the observed results, we strongly EHOLHYHWKDWDGRSWLQJWKH3%/DSSURDFKKDVLPSURYHGWKHVWXGHQWV¶SHUIRUPDQFHV especially in terms of knowledge when compared to the conventional approach of teaching and learning. Keywords: engineering; problem-based learning; teaching and learning.
1 Introduction Problem-based learning (PBL) is one of the student-centered pedagogy approaches in which the learning curve about any particular subject is developed through the experience in problem solving. The PBL approach was first introduced in the 1960s at the School of Medicine, McMaster University, Canada, and since then, it has been spread all around the world especially when it has been proven to be one of the most successful strategies in helping to improve and enhance the process of learning at tertiary level [1] ± [3]. In Malaysia, the inclusion of PBL approach in engineering lectures at institutions of higher learning has been pioneered by a group of people from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (UTHM), Malaysia back in 2005 to improve the necessary knowledge, skills and attitude of graduated students required by the engineering-based industry [4]. In this report, we present, to a certain extent, the concept of PBL implemented on selected topics in Electromagnetic (EM) Theory course to 218 students of cohort 2013/2014 at School of Microelectronic Engineering (SoME), Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP), Malaysia. The initial assessment of this approach in term of knowledge was solely determined by the examination results taken by the students at the end of the semester. The details regarding the EM Theory course and the analysis of the PBL approach are to be further elaborated in the next sections.
2 EM Theory Course at SoME, UniMAP The EM Theory course is a compulsory subject attended by second year students at SoME, UniMAP in order to complete their Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) degree (with Honours) either in Microelectronic, Electronic or Photonic Engineering. The outcomes of this course are: i) Ability to apply, derive and analyze electrostatics and magnetostatics. ii) $ELOW\WRDSSO\GHULYHDQGDQDO\]H0D[ZHOO¶V(TXDWLRQV iii) $ELOLW\WRDSSO\0D[ZHOO¶V(TXDWLRQVDQGLQWHUDFWLRQRIHOHFWURPDJQHWLVPLQGHYLFHV In order to attain these outcomes, a minimum of three-hour lecture in a week (for 14 weeks) has been allocated. According to the outlined teaching plan (for guideline), the contents of the lectures that cover the related topics (with sub-topics) are as shown in Table 1.
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Proceeding of st The 1 International Joint Conference Indonesia-Malaysia-Bangladesh-Ireland 2015 Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, 27-28 April 2015, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Table 1 . Course content of Electromagnetic Theory at SoME, UniMAP. Study Course content Week Electrostatics &RXORPE¶V/DZ(OHFWULF)OX['HQVLW\*DXVV¶V/DZ(OHFWULF 1±4 Potential, Dielectric Polarization, Dielectric Constant, %RXQGDU\&RQGLWLRQ3RLVVRQ¶V/DSODFH5HVLVWDQFHDQG Capacitance. Magnetostatics Biot-6DYDUW¶V/DZ$PSHUH¶V/DZ0DJQHWLF)OX['HQVLW\ 5±8 Magnetic Force, Torque and Moment, Magnetic Dipole, Inductor and Inductance. Electromagnetics )DUDGD\¶V/DZ'LVSODFHPHQW&XUUHQW0D[ZHOO¶V(TXDWLRQV 9 ± 10 Potential and Fields. Wave and Energy Waves, Plane Waves, Power, Poynting Vector, Reflection, 11 ± 14 Impedance SWR, Transmission Lines, Smith Chart, Introduction to Waveguides.
3 Problem-Based Learning Approach The PBL module used in the teaching and learning of EM Theory course is known as 5 Ladders of Active Learning [5]. In general, Ladder 1 is the introduction of any selected topic to the participants who are required to identify the learning issues from a given problem scenario. Ladder 2 involves selfdirected learning activities including research through readings, watching videos and so on. The information obtained from the self-directed learning activities is then reported at Ladder 3 in group meetings and discussions. During Ladder 4, the participants are required to present and share their findings which have been discussed and prepared at Ladder 3. The last ladder (Ladder 5) focuses more on the additional exercises related to the topics as well as the overall reflection on the learning activities that the students have gone through from Ladder 1 ± 5. The number of students who have attended the EM Theory course at SoME, UniMAP was 218 people for cohort 2013/2014, as previously mentioned. The PBL approach (to a certain extent) was conducted to these students on some selected sub-topics ZKLFK LQFOXGH $PSHUH¶V /DZ )DUDGD\¶V /DZ 0D[ZHOO¶V (TXDWions and Plane Waves. Since the number of students was quite large, these students were divided into several groups, each of which consisted of 10 members (maximum) and must appoint their own group leader. At the beginning, a conventional lecture (i.e. the standard teacher-centered learning approach) on the selected topics was delivered briefly to introduce the topics. Each group was then assigned with a socalled µtrigger¶ (problem) which has to be discussed DPRQJ WKH JURXS¶V PHPEHUV and to determine the solution within a two-week period. The trigger is one of the important components in PBL which has to be carefully designed in order to initiate the lesson and learning process of any targeted topic. Some of the triggers used in this work were: x
Trigger 1:
Figure 1 shows a long finite solenoid with some parameters. Using equations related to )DUDGD\¶V/aw of induction and $PSHUH¶V/aw, prove that the power per unit volume flowing into the solenoid is equal to:
ȝ+
dH dt
where P is the permeability of the material core and H is the magnetic field.
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Proceeding of st The 1 International Joint Conference Indonesia-Malaysia-Bangladesh-Ireland 2015 Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, 27-28 April 2015, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Figure 1 x
A long finite solenoid
Trigger 2:
Using 0D[ZHOO¶V (TXDWLRQ , in a loss-less dielectric, show that the vector of electric field, E, is transverse (E is perpendicular to wavevector, k). In other words, prove that the z-component of E0 is equal to zero [i.e. E0 = (E0X, E0Y, 0)] where E0 is the vector of the amplitude of E. x
Trigger 3:
Given that E0 = (E0X, E0Y, 0) where E0 is the vector of the amplitude of electric field vector, E. By using 0D[ZHOO¶V(TXDWLRQ,,,in a loss-less dielectric, show that:
H0
k E0Y ,E0 X ,0 ȝȦ
where H0 is the vector of the amplitude of magnetic field vector, H, and P is the permeability.
As can be seen from the trigger examples, the words in bolds were the key initiators to find the appropriate solutions of the given problems. The students therefore have to perform their own study by any means necessary including readings and watching videos in order to understand these words at the beginning of their learning process. The leader of each group has the responsibility to organize any discussion or group meeting outside the lecture hours to complete the assignments given. Activities WKDWFDQGHYHORSWKHVWXGHQWV¶VRIW-skills such as delegation of tasks, working in groups and effective communication would be automatically taken place in the process of learning through this PBL approach. In order to encourage participation from all members in each group, a peer-to-peer assessment (see Appendix A) within the group itself has been introduced. The students therefore have to deliver their utmost contributions to obtain high mark from the peers. After two weeks, each group has to share and present its findings in front of all other groups and there would be a group-togroup assessment (see Appendix B) during the presentation.
4 Findings and Discussion Adopting PBL approach has helped the students to actively learn about the selected topics not only by themselves through their own research, but also from the discussions and exchanging ideas among WKH JURXS¶V PHPEHUV The students have enhanced their study skills especially on how to conduct library research and extract useful information in order to solve any given task. The presentation has encouraged the students to deeply understand the topics they have been assigned because during the presentation session, they have to effectively and articulately convey what they have been learning within the two-week period. Hence, through PBL approach, the students not only became more proactive, creative and innovative, but also improved their soft skills including 1067
Proceeding of st The 1 International Joint Conference Indonesia-Malaysia-Bangladesh-Ireland 2015 Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, 27-28 April 2015, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
teamwork, communication, management and leadership which are very essential for a competent engineer. This has significantly helped to attain the outlined outcomes of the EM Theory course as mentioned earlier. To partially assess the success of the PBL approach adopted in the EM Theory course at SoME, UniMAP, a final examination paper of this course, which consisted of five questions, has been designed accordingly. Questions 3 and 4 were set based on the topics whereby the students have experienced an active learning process via PBL approach. Each question carried 20 marks and the duration of the final examination was three hours. Table 2 shows the results obtained by the students of cohort 2013/2014 at SoME, UniMAP, based on the questions (question 1 ± 5) set in the final examination of EM Theory course. As can be seen, question 3 (Q3) has the highest average mark of 14.83 with standard deviation of 4.13, followed by question 4 (Q4) with average mark and standard deviation of 12.82 and 4.48, respectively. This could be used to reflect the success of the PBL approach adopted in the teaching and learning process for topics that were covered in Q3 and Q4 when compared to the results of the other questions. Nevertheless, there are also many other factors that contribute to the results obtained in Table 2, which are not discussed in this report.
Table 2 . Final Examination Results of Electromagnetic Theory at SoME, UniMAP. Final Examination of Electromagnetic Theory Course Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Highest Mark 20 20 20 20 16.5 Lowest Mark 0 0 2 2 3 Average Mark 5.81 7.11 14.83 12.82 10.98 Standard Deviation 4.19 4.61 4.13 4.48 2.97
5 Conclusion In summary, based on the results and discussion presented in this report, the PBL approach implemented on specific topics in the EM Theory course for 218 students (cohort 2013/2014) at SoME, UniMAP has significantly helped the students not only in attaining the outlined course outcomes but also in developing and nurturing many soft skills which are necessary for the students once they have completed their undergraduate study and started to work in the industry. The inclusion of PBL approach in teaching and learning for engineering courses at tertiary level of education is therefore very essential and recommended.
6 References [1] [2] [3] [4]
[5]
Barrows, H. S. (1996), Problem-Based Learning in Medicine and Beyond: A Brief Overview, New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 1996(68), 3-12. Hmelo-Silver, C. E. (2004), Problem-Based Learning: What and How Do Students Learn, Educational Psychology Review, 16(3), 235-266. Schmidt, H. G., Rotgans, J. I. & Yew, E. HJ. (2011), The Process of Problem-Based Learning: What Works and Why, Medical Education, 45(8), 792-806. Mohd Salleh, B., Othman, H., Esa, A., Sulaiman, A. & Othman, H. (2007), Adopting ProblemBased Learning in the Teaching of Engineering Undergraduates: A Malaysian Experience, International Conference on Engineering Education (ICEE) 2007, Coimbra, Portugal, 1 ± 5. Othman, H. et al. (2013), Training of Facilitators in Problem-Based Learning: A Malaysian Experience, Proceedings in the 4th International Research Symposium on Problem-Based Learning (IRSPBL) 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 305 ± 316.
.
Acknowledgement The authors would like to thank to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hussain Othman, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Berhannuddin M. Salleh and Akademi Kepimpinan Pengajian Tinggi (AKEPT) for their assistance, guidance and the use of the facilities for workshop sessions.
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Proceeding of st The 1 International Joint Conference Indonesia-Malaysia-Bangladesh-Ireland 2015 Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, 27-28 April 2015, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Appendix A
EMT238 ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY GROUP ASSIGNMENT PEER-TO-PEER ASSESSMENT NAME: ______________________________________________________ MATRIX NO.: __________________________
PROGRAMME: RK05 / RK86 / RK89
GROUP NO.: ________________ Guideline: - This is a peer-to-peer assessment. - Mark is given based on the contribution of each member of the group to complete the assignment. - Mark is given in the range from 1 ʹ 5. 1: very low 2: low 3: average 4: good 5: excellent No.
Name
Matrix No.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
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Programme (RK05/RK86/RK89)
Mark
Proceeding of st The 1 International Joint Conference Indonesia-Malaysia-Bangladesh-Ireland 2015 Universitas Ubudiyah Indonesia, 27-28 April 2015, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
Appendix B
EMT238 ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY GROUP ASSIGNMENT GROUP-TO-GROUP ASSESSMENT 'ZKhW> Z͛^ED ͗ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ MATRIX NO.: __________________________
PROGRAMME: RK05 / RK86 / RK89
Guideline: This is a group-to-group assessment. Mark is given in the range from 1 ʹ 4. Mark is given based on: i) Delivery 1: not smooth 3: articulate and organized 2: quite articulate 4: smooth and very articulate ii) Content 1: poor and very difficult to understand 3: very good 2: moderate 4: outstanding and easy to understand No. Group No. (A) (B) ;ŐƌŽƵƉůĞĂĚĞƌ͛ƐŶĂŵĞͿ Mark on Delivery Mark on Content 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
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Total Marks (A + B)
