Classical electromagnetism and the nature of vector fields are fundamental underpinnings of a scientific and technical education, but they are the most difficult subjects for students at an introductory level to master. This difficulty is a nationally recognized problem in science and engineering education, and it has been a recognized problem since the origins of the field of electromagnetism. The project has already developed 3D visualization and simulation techniques to foster student intuition about electromagnetic fields and phenomena, disseminated online through the MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) Project. The current project is for the continued development and assessment of a full suite of such visualizations in electromagnetism, embedded in a pedagogical software framework for their interactive delivery that is designed to optimize student learning.
The intellectual merit of this project lies in its application of cutting-edge simulation and visualization techniques embedded in a guided inquiry interactive software framework to enhance student understanding of electromagnetic phenomena. Not only do these techniques make the introductory curriculum in this subject more accessible, but they also extend the range of subjects that can be treated at this level to sophisticated concepts that are usually covered only in advanced courses (for example, the concepts of pressure and tension transmitted by fields).
The broader impact of this project lies in research towards the development and evaluation of an effective pedagogy for the interactive delivery of scientific visualizations and simulations in a guided inquiry software framework. The full development of such a framework can ultimately have an impact across all science and engineering disciplines.
