Design and teaching of a new virtual laboratory course: “Computer Simulations in Electromagnetics”

Undergraduate engineering students must acquire practical skills alongside learning theory to better prepare them for their career. In the last two decades, simulation softwares in electromagnetics have become widespread in both industry and academia. But these softwares are not usually taught in electrical engineering (EE) programs, thus leaving a gap in skills of graduates when entering the job market or graduate school. In the first semester of 2020-2021, a new course entitled “Computer simulations in electromagnetics” was designed and offered in the School of EE of Sharif University of Technology which was a new step on a national and international level. The course objective was to teach the correct methods of simulation using three widespread softwares in the field of microwave and photonics, which cover most aspects of this field. In this paper, we discuss the main ideas behind the creation of this course, its syllabus, presentation method, as well as challenges and achievements in this effort. In addition to filling the educational gap in EE programs, this laboratory increases student interest and motivation, better prepares students for future, and allows for a virtual laboratory (especially in periods such as the Covid 19 pandemic).