Modernizing electromagnetics education: Incorporating a coursework element into an elementary exam-oriented electromagnetics module

Electromagnetics education constitutes core knowledge in electrical and/or electronics (EE) engineering courses across the globe. Although there exists a global general consensus pertaining to the content of elementary electromagnetics, the methods of delivery differ from institution to institution. The current approaches to teaching elementary electromagnetics at the undergraduate level range from assessing students' performance purely from examinations, such as midterm tests and a final exam, to evaluating students' understanding by incorporating assignment questions and coursework. In this paper, the module H63FWA Fields Waves and Antennas, which is being taught at The University of Nottingham, is taken as an example where coursework that contains a research element is introduced into a previously 100% exam-based module.