Teaching electromagnetism through demonstration of a practical application involving learning content from multiple disciplines
Teaching electromagnetism by demonstrating a practical application associated with learning content is an important teaching technique. Demonstrations are often performed through video-assisted procedures, and are usually limited to a one-to-one correspondence between the application and the learning content. However, understanding of practical applications frequently requires understanding of learning content beyond the ones studied in electromagnetism. I designed a process to teach the working principles of cryogen-free superconducting magnets. Understanding of this practical application requires students to have knowledge of learning content from the disciplines of electromagnetism and solid state physics. The teaching process involved the use of homemade videos demonstrating magnet operation, which was combined with a flipped classroom and an active learning approach.