Redesign and Implementation of the Electromagnetism Course for Engineering Students Using the Backward Design Methodology

Jesús González (), Liliana Martínez, Roberto Aguas, Jhon De La Hoz and Henry Sánchez
Additional contact information
Jesús González: Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470004, Colombia
Liliana Martínez: Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470004, Colombia
Roberto Aguas: Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470004, Colombia
Jhon De La Hoz: Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470004, Colombia
Henry Sánchez: Faculty of Education Sciences, Universidad del Magdalena, Santa Marta 470004, Colombia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: In this study, the redesign and implementation of an electromagnetism course for engineering students are presented using the methodology of backward design (BD), recognized for its attributes for the development of active learning and its possibility of specifying the fundamentals and principles of engineering education in the development of higher education syllabus. The purposes of this study were as follows: (1) to implement the backward design (BD) methodology to develop argumentative, purposeful, and interpretive skills in an electromagnetism course; (2) to design and apply rubrics to evaluate tests and laboratory reports and determine the level that best suits the knowledge, skills, and competencies of students; (3) to assess the perception of students regarding the use of the methodology and their contributions to the development and understanding of the concepts of the course. The results of this educational research experience showed that the BD teaching approach was pedagogical and significantly superior to conventional models for improving knowledge and skills of electromagnetism based on Hake’s statistic (h) of 0.73, which led us to conclude that there was a learning gain in the students. This paper focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) of the United Nations Agenda, which is aimed at “Quality education”. The study’s results reveal that fully integrated and sustainable solutions can be envisioned for higher education entities via the implementation of BD methodology, which can support the educational transformation of the higher education sector based on SDG 4, which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education for all. This can mitigate the risk associated with university dropouts due to subjects that are highly complex for many students like electromagnetism.

Keywords: backward design; virtual learning; ecosystem; design; thinking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12152/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12152/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12152-:d:1213204

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().