IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. E-26, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 1983

Teaching Student Engineers the Structure of

Scientific and Technical Literature Usingan Electronics Case Study

RAYMOND V. TURLEY

Abstract-The novel use of a case study based on some genuine elec-tronics research, the "Talking Brooch" communication aid for thedumb, is described, which introduces the various types of literature andtheir guides in a natural way. Set within the context of library usereducation courses at the University of Southampton, England, theassessed literature-searching exercises associated with third-year under-graduate engineering projects, where marks awarded jointly by thelibrary and departments contribute directly towards degrees, are dealtwith briefly. Attention then turns to the recently developed TalkingBrooch case study which opens these courses by demonstrating thestructure of the literature. Significant (literary) events in the historyof the original investigation are enumerated, and their structural impli-cations are pointed out. The treatment of a key journal article byseveral abstracting and indexing journals is summarized, introducing theterminology problem faced by users of subject indexes, and it is shownhow the approach also covers information sources other than the litera-ture. Finally, some practical aspects of using the case study for teachingpurposes are discussed, including the simultaneous employment of both35 mm slide and overhead projectors in live presentations, the construc-tion of a unique overhead projector slide which enables the differentkinds of literature to be added individually to a structure chart in anyorder, and the modifications rendered necessary by converfing lecturematerial into a tape-slide program for the benefit of students elsewhere.

INTRODUCTIONC OURSES on the structure and use of scientific and tech-

nical literature run by Southampton University Libraryfor science and engineering students, both undergraduate andpostgraduate, are now well into their second decade. Theyform part of a library user education program which has gradu-ally evolved from a series of first-year undergraduate orienta-tion sessions plus the occasional course for postgraduatestudents to the present three-stage scheme involving mostundergraduates, together with regular courses for M.Sc. stu-dents. Many people have assisted this evolutionary process,the main direction of which has been determined by changingrelationships between the library and relevant academic depart-ments. It is suggested that similar systems could flourishelsewhere.Currently, first-year undergraduates attend an orientation

lecture given on a faculty basis within a week or so of arrivingat the University. For many engineers this is followed by anintermediate session, arranged on a departmental basis at thebeginning of their second term, where attention is paid to

Manuscript received December 14, 1981; revised September 1, 1982.The author is with the Library, University of Southampton, South-

ampton, S09 5NH, England.

using (rather than simply finding) certain library materials.These sessions conclude with a case study demonstrating infor-mation retrieval on an unfamiliar topic at first-year essay level;indeed, a fairly high proportion of students must then producesuch essays for their tutors, including references which havebeen found in the library. The third stage consists of a half-day course, also arranged by department, at either the end ofthe second year or the beginning ofthe third. This deliberatelycoincides with the commencement of departmentally organ-ized third-year project work for engineering students. Manyscientists have similar courses, although the emphasis onproject-work is not so pronounced. A typical structure isshown as an Appendix.The nature of these second/third-year courses requires further

elaboration, since it was for them that the case study describedlater here was developed. Third-year engineering projectsoften resemble scaled-down postgraduate research; under -graduates may even find themselves working alongside post-graduates or teaching staff on some limited aspect of a majorinvestigation. Thus, it seems appropriate that students shouldbe introduced to a wide range of information sources and theirguides during the library course. This is not easily achieved inhalf a day, although postgraduate courses usually occupy awhole day, or are spread over two. For a number of years ithas been recognized that printed supporting material wasneeded, which now takes the formn of a substantial guidebook.The latter is not cited here, as it cannot be made availableoutside the University (distribution within being restricted tostudents who attend instructional sessions). However, theunderlying philosophy is captured in [1], which itself grewout of a typewritten, duplicated handout originally preparedfor the courses. All one can exhibit in the lecture room is abird's-eye view of a complex field.Naturally, it is through undertaking practical literature

searches that students learn most. Third-year projects them-selves provide some motivation for this; but falling attendancesat library courses led, in 1973, to the introduction of formallyassessed literature-searching exercises for students from me-chanical engineering and electronics. Several other departmentshave since followed suit. These exercises are centered on thethird-year project topic, or on a related subject prescribed bythe project supervisor. Students receive worksheet bookletswhich must be completed and returned within a specified time.The booklets are divided into two main sections: white pagesfor recording details of sources searched, such as abstracting

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. E-26, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 1983

or indexing journals, and search terms used, followed bycolored pages for references found. The second section isfurther subdivided according to different types of literature,including journal articles, reports, conference proceedings,theses, books, and reference material. This reminds the stu-dents they should look for more than just journal articles. Com-pleted booklets are collected departmentally and forwarded tothe library staff, who allocate individual grades. The scripts arethen distributed among project supervisors, who finalize theassessment by converting these grades into marks according toa previously agreed scale; the marks contribute directly towardsthe students' degrees. In this process, the library looks mainlyat the sources chosen, the way in which they have been used,and the accuracy of recording references, whereas the depart-ment judges the importance of material found, or missed.Should a supervisor wish to mark outside the initial grade, thelibrary staff are contacted and the matter is settled by mutualagreement. Although not all students are enthusiastic aboutthis additional burden, a number comment on the value ofsuchan exercise after they have finished. It must be admitted thatthere are two incompatible aims: obtaining useful informationfor the project, and educating the library user. These seemincompatible because the first generally requires a deepishsearch in a few places, but the second is better served by abroader search introducing a wide range of sources and guides.Being a real-life exercise, the participants are encouraged toseek help when they run into difficulties and are not penalizedforso doing. This can stimulate an interaction between studentand supervisor at an early phase of the project, an interactionwhich has sometimes needed stimulation in the past. Anotheradvantage of the scheme is that the library staff monitor theeffectiveness of their teaching methods through feedbackprovided by the students' results.Since degree marks are at stake, the library feels a special

responsibility for the content of instructional courses and itspresentation. Teaching the structure of scientific and technicalliterature as a first step in courses on finding informationappears fundamental, because students can make more efficientuse of this vital source if they are aware of the various compo-nents, what purpose each serves, and how they fit together.The author had previously dealt with this topic in a very aca-demic fashion, explaining a structure chart entry by entry.This was clearly unsatisfactory, although, for the most part,students accepted the technique with good grace. The author'sboredom with his own approach also precipitated the questfor a more lively alternative. Thence came the idea of seekinga case study based on a piece of genuine research which wouldallow the structure of the literature to emerge in a naturalway. After one or two false starts, a viable example along theselines was forthcoming. The rest of this article describes solu-tions to the two major problems encountered: first, that offinding appropriate source material; second, that of devisingan attractive form of presentation.

THE "TALKING BROOCH" CASE STUDYChoosing a suitable topic for the case study was not a trivial

task. It had to provide a reasonably interesting story whichencompassed all the academic points required coupled with

Fig. 1. The Talkdng Brooch, reproduced from artwork designed for thetape-slide presentation The Structure ofScientific and TechnicalLiterature.

good visual possibilities, such as might engage the attentionof students from a number of science and engineering depart-ments. A local research project was finally selected, mainlybecause of the ease with which the researchers themselvescould be contacted and their files raided for essentialdocuments.The Talking Brooch (Fig. 1) is a communication aid for the

dumb invented by Dr. Alan Newell (formerly ofthe ElectronicsDepartment, University of Southampton, but now Professorand Director of the Microcomputer Centre at Dundee Univer-sity). A dumb person types whatever he or she wishes to sayon the keyboard; this message is converted electronically intoa five-character rolling display, which can be read via the visualdisplay unit. The latter, wom in a breast pocket or attachedto a lady's dress, gives the device its name. Fortuitously enough,Alan Newell revealed that the idea for his invention occurredafter reading an article about a communication aid for blindpeople in the IEEE TRANSACTIONS [2], a fact which imme-diately enforces the relevance of technical literature. Sometime was spent exploring the history of the TaLking Broochproject from the information aspect. Eventually, incidentscapable of introducing the desired academic points as the storyunfolded were selected; an outline of these follows.The first published information about this project appeared

in the Electronics Department's annual report for 1970-1971.A second, rather different example of report literature wasprovided by the progress reports which a Ph.D. student, JonBrumfitt, assigned to the Talking Brooch team, produced.When the team realized that a marketable device was beingdeveloped, they had to decide whether patent protectionshould be sought. In the event it was not, nevertheless patentspecifications become eligible for mention as another type ofliterature. By July 1973, enough had been achieved to allowthe submission of an article written by Alan Newell and hiscolleagues to the journal of their choice [3]. Although thisremained unprinted for 18 months, periodicals may now beintroduced as a component of the literature. Members of theresearch team also found themselves addressing various meet-

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TURLEY: TEACHING STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL LITERATURE

ings, their contributions being sometimes published, sometimesnot. Thence, conference proceedings are added to the list.The Ph.D. student's photograph appeared in a local news-

paper, shortly before the Talking Brooch was featured on theBBC Television "Tomorrow's World" program. Even thisgenerated one tiny information source-a camera script-al-though it seems hardly appropriate to consider these partof the scientific literature. Another television program aboutthe Brooch had an interesting consequence. Seen by some-one working for a government department, this resulted in thecommissioning of articles which were subsequently circulatedamong British press agencies all over the world. Hence, thedevice received some fairly exotic press coverage, being reportedin, for example, the Daily Gleaner of Jamaica, the Addis Soirof Ethiopia, the Daily News ofKuwait, and the South AfricanPress (Afrikans), as well as enlightening readers of the Britishpopular magazine Reveille! Newspapers need not be enteredseparately on a chart showing the structure of the literature;they are a special kind of periodical.The Talking Brooch utilizes a standard typewriter keyboard

layout, thus affording mention ofstandards literature. Govern-ment or official publications can be brought in too, through aseries of papers outlining research and development work onequipment for the disabled regularly presented to the BritishParliament. Although the Brooch never featured there, one ofAlan Newell's later inventions did: the modified palantypewhich helps a deaf M.P. follow debates in the House of Com-mons. The postgraduate research student associated with thecase study project duly submitted his thesis, another type ofliterature. This in turn refers to a manufacturer's catalog (list-ing components used in the Brooch's display unit), an exampleof trade or commercial literature, and several textbooks. TheTalking Brooch has not yet appeared in any text book, and, asonly a minor piece of technology, probably never will; whenceone can draw the distinction between primary and secondaryliterature. Other secondary forms discussed by way of illustra-tion are encyclopedias (reference material) and review serials,neither of which are very likely to describe the Brooch.One document uncovered during the case study investigation

is something of a hybrid [41. It was based mainly on the pro-ceedings of a conference at which the Talking Brooch was notrepresented. However, additional contributions were soughtbefore publication, hence the inclusion of a chapter on theBrooch (whose picture was also selected for the dust jacketdesign). From the case study angle, therefore, this volumeresembles an ordinary book more than anything else, anddemonstrates that the divisions between different kinds ofliterature are not absolutely watertight. Hence, any structurelike that under consideration should be regarded as a simpli-fied, though useful, model of a complex situation. Reference[4] serves a further purpose. Examining its coverage by bib-liographies introduces guides to the literature, distinguishedfrom the literature itself.Having established the concept of guides, attention can be

turned to the treatment of the article by Newell and his co-workers [31 in various abstracting and indexing journals,taking as first examples Current Contents, Science CitationIndex, and Electrical and Electronics Abstracts. That Alan

Fig. 2. Coverage of Newell's article [3] in Biological Abstracts, repro-duced from the tape-slide presentation artwork.

Newell got the idea for his invention after reading Taenzer'sIEEE TRANSACTIONS paper [2] permits explanation of theCitation Index, as well as the Source and Permutermn SubjectIndexes ofScience Citation Index. An opportunity also arisesto introduce computerized databases; the INSPEC entry forNewell's article [31 precedes illustration of its coverage byElectrical and Electronics Abstracts. In the latter context, onemight note how the abstract appears in the "Prosthetics" sub-ject section, although this word is never employed as an index-ing term, bringing home the occasionally quirky behavior ofthese guides.The virtue of choosing a multidisciplinary topic for the case

study becomes apparent when discussing abstracting and in-dexing journals. Newell's article [3] was covered by BiologicalAbstracts, use of whose KWIC (Key Word In Context) subjectindex may therefore be explained. Fig. 2 summarizes the wayin which indexers have dealt with the article in that system,and similar diagrams exist for the other abstracting and index-ing joumals considered. Applied Science & Technology Indexenters [3] under "Deaf;" interestingly enough, because thedevice can also serve as a communication aid for the deaf, butwould be missed altogether in most abstracting and indexingjoumals if sought from this viewpoint. Literature searchersare thus generally well advised to consult a range of theseguides, if relevant material may be more easily found in somethan in others. This point is reinforced by Engineering Index,listing [3] under "Signaling" where it is lost as far as manyBritish users are concemed, unless they discover that heading'scross reference in the "Electronics" subsection of "BiomedicalEngineering." Index Medicus and the computerized versionMedline also cover Newell's article, assigning indexing termssuch as "Mutism," subheading "Rehabilitation." The varietyof language used by different people to label one and the samejournal article creates a major barrier for the literature searcher:selecting the correct words for use in subject indexes and sub-ject arrangements.Although only a small selection of guides to the literature

can be represented in a case study, one may point out thatthere are so many in reality that guides to abstracting andindexing joumals, and bibliographies, have been compiled.

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IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. E-26, NO. 1, FEBRUARY 1983

Fig. 3. Structure of the scientific and technical literature, reproducedfrom the tape-slide presentation artwork.

There are also guides to information sources in both broadand narrow subject fields. With this mention of guides to theguides, the structure of the literature is complete (Fig. 3).In one sense, the Talking Brooch case study exceeds its

original requirements. Not only are the different kinds ofliterature enumerated; the subject index terminology problemis considered, so are other types of information source. Forinstance, at an early phase in the research project, an organiza-tion apart from the Electronics Department at SouthamptonUniversity (an educational organization) became associatedwith the work and, hence, became a potential source of infor-mation thereon. Action Research for the Crippled Child (aprofessional or research organization) provided funds neces-sary for the Talking Brooch's development. Representing theremaining categories here are the government departmentwhich disseminated information about the research projectworld-wide (an official organization), and the company manu-facturing components used in the Talking Brooch display unit(a commercial organization). Although organizations do notform part of the literature, they may be given a structuraldiagram of their own. Another chart can summarize the fourmain groups of information source: people, organizations,literature, and information services (often computerized).

PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF PRESENTATION

Experience suggests that the topic of scientific and technicalliterature is not one which engineering students find imme-diately captivating. If it is to be taught-and the authorbelieves practical familiarity with the structure of the literatureand manual searching techniques are still essential prerequisitesfor a proper understanding of the newer mechanical methodsof information retrieval, at least in their present form-then itmust be taught in an entertainingfashion. Engineering studentsat Southampton University see the Talking Brooch case studypresented live, a presentation which, moreover, involves simul-taneous use of both 35 mm slide and overhead projectors.One reason for devising this technique, apart from the elementof spectacle, was the author's fear of lost enthusiasm caused

Fig. 4. Overhead projector slide which enables the addition of differenttypes of literature singly, and in any order, to the structure chart.

by giving the same talk many times each year. The currentarrangement ensures that he remains actively engaged through-out each lecture. Because most students do not expect a veryexciting talk on this subject, the need to generate or commu-nicate enthusiasm through being enthusiastic oneself becomesall the more important.The Talking Brooch story-line is illustrated by 35 mm slides,

while the structure of the literature is built up using the over-head projector, the structure remaining visible while the storyunfolds. An overhead projector slide which enables the differ-ent types of literature to be added individually, in any order,was especially commissioned for this case study by the Depart-ment of Teaching Media at Southampton University (Fig. 4).First, the complete structure chart was photographed and atransparency produced consisting of white lettering on a blackbackground. Layers of self-adhesive colored film were thenapplied, emphasizing the distinction between certain areas;the literature itself was made yellow, for example, and guidesto the literature red. Mounted in an aluminum frame, thetransparency is overlaid by a series ofhinged metal strips whichcan be raised or lowered at will, revealing or masking thewriting beneath. That there are slight gaps between thesestrips is visually of no consequence, since the illuminatedletters are on a black background.The main difficulty encountered in the course of developing

this overhead slide was overheating during performance, as itremains on the projector for around three-quarters of an hour,a problem compounded by the fact that a layer of perspexplaced beneath the transparency for extra support effectivelyhindered heat dissipation. This has been largely overcome byadding small feet at each comer of the frame, raising the slideabove the projector platen to facilitate convection coolingbeneath, and covering as much as possible ofthe transparency'sunderside with white heat-resistant material, thus reflectingback a proportion of the radiant energy so readily absorbedby a black body. The behavior of this visual aid is still not

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TURLEY: TEACHING STRUCTURE OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL LITERATURE

entirely satisfactory; hence, the search for ways of remedyingthe overheating characteristic continues.The Talking Brooch presentation has been field-tested with

audiences since October 1978. Student reception of librarycourses at Southampton is evaluated by questionnaire imme-diately after the course, and reaction to the case study hasbeen generally favorable. The most obvious enthusiasts arethose studying subjects closely related to that of the Broochitself; but the treatment has been found broadly acceptable bysuch diverse groups as chemists, geologists, and civil and aero-nautical engineers. Ideally, an appropriate case study shouldbe prepared for the students of every department. The over-head projector slide demonstrating the literature's structurehas been designed with this end in view. However, the laborand expense of producing a set of case studies are such thattheir realization must be deferred.From the start it was recognized that the Talking Brooch

material might possess teaching applications beyond Southamp-ton University, so the possibility of a tape-slide program wasalways borne in mind. This created new problems. The mar-keting of a package which contains a complex overhead projec-tor slide, demanding simultaneous use of two machines andscreens in presentation, is clearly impractical. Building up thestructure of the literature can be accomplished in a differentway: by inserting a set of 35 mm slides showing the chart invarious stages of development at strategic intervals within theexisting story-line sequence. A second difficulty has beensecuring sufficiently high technical quality in slides photo-graphed directly from original documents, or small portionsthereof, complete with suitable captions. After a number ofunsuccessful attempts it was decided that uniformly sizedpieces of camera-ready artwork, based reasonably closely onthe relevant documents and stylishly designed, would prove anacceptable alternative. In other words, exact facsimile repro-duction of sources was abandoned. Purists may regard this asunsatisfactory; but, the author argues, occasionally simplifiedand generally more attractively presented information some-times serves pedagogical purposes better than strict adherenceto literal truth.The tape-slide version differs from a live performance at

Southampton in one other respect; the text is read by twovoices. One, female, is employed for passages which tell thestory of the Talking Brooch, and the other, male, adopts therole of commentator, dealing especially with the program'sinstructional element. This should afford the novice viewerslight relief, for the information content is fairly high andbeginners may obtain little more than an overall impressionofthe subject (which the author would think well worthwhile).Students with greater experience might find the treatmentvaluable as a refresher course, or perhaps see the literature in adifferent light.The Talking Brooch has found an application never foreseen

by its inventor. In addition to helping dumb people communi-cate, it has helped or will help a generation of Southamptonstudents understand the structure of their literature, still a

and engineers, and may thence assist the continuing advance ofhuman knowledge.

APPENDIXPATTERN OF LIBRARY USER EDUCATION FOR

ENGINEERING STUDENTS AT SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY

Undergraduates1st year, 1st term

1st year, 2nd term

2nd year, 3rd termor3rd, year, 1st term

PostgraduatesM.Sc. InstructionalCourse students,and occasionalPh.D. students

highly important information source for present day scientists

Orientation lecture, given on a facultybasis, dealing with the layout of thelibrary, the organization and use of itscatalogs, general bibliographies, andservices such as interlibrary loans andphotocopying.

Intermediate lecture, given to selecteddepartments, introducing the literature inan elementary way by considering thenature of journal articles, review articles,textbooks, encyclopedias, and handbooks.This is followed by a case study aboutfinding information for an essay on mod-ern methods of fire-fighting using portableextinguishers; the historical aspect iscovered too, since some engineers are setthat type of essay by their tutors.

Half-day course, given on a departmentalbasis and timed to coincide with the com-mencement of third-year project work.This course opens with the TalkingBrooch presentation, describing thestructure of the literature, and is suc-ceeded by a lecture on "choosing andusing information sources" which includesadvice on selecting appropriate sources,how to use indexes and abstracts, choos-ing search terms, overcoming languagedifficulties, and a routine for literaturesearching. A short tape-slide programfollows, mainly by way of summary,showing the retrieval of information atresearch project level on lasers applied toair pollution measurement. Many stu-dents attending these courses then under-take formally assessed literature searcheson their own projects.

Whole-day course, usually spread overtwo half-days, given on a departmentalbasis; an extended version of the coursefor second/third-year undergraduatesoutlined above. Additional material in-cludes lectures on patents and reports,organizing information via personalrecord systems, maintaining an offprintcollection, and communicating informa-tion, with brief mention of copyright

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law. Some students then undertakeinformally assessed literature searches ontheir own M.Sc. projects.

Note Added in Proof: A book based on the Talking Broochmaterial, entitled Understanding the Structure ofScientificand Technical Literature: A Case-Study Approach and writtenby the present author, is scheduled for publication by LibraryAssociation Publishing, London, England, during 1983.

REFERENCES

[1]

[21[31

C. C. Parker and R. V. Turley, Information Sources in Science andTechnology. London, England: Butterworths, 1975.J. C. Taenzer, "Visual word reading," IEEE Trans. Man-Mach.Syst., vol. MMS-11, pp. 44-53, Mar. 1970.A. F. Newell, J.D.E. Beynon, P. J. Brumfitt, and K. S. Hossain,"An alphanumeric display as a communication aid for the dumb,"Med Biol. Eng., vol. 13, pp. 84-88, Jan. 1975.

[4] K. Copeland, Ed.,Aids for the Severely Handicapped. London,England: Sector Publishing, 1974.

Raymond V. Tudley received the B.Sc. degreein physics and the Ph.D. degree in mathematicsfrom the University ofSouthampton, Southamp-ton, England, in 1959 and 1962, respectively.From 1962 until 1963 he was Tutor in Theo-

retical Physics at Sussex University, Brighton,England, and from 1963 until 1966 he was aLecturer in Applied Mathematics at the Uni-versity College of Wales, Aberystwyth. Since1966 he has worked in Southampton Univer-sity Library, where he is currently Divisional

Librarian for Physical Sciences and Engineering. His main interestsinclude library user education for engineers and scientists, copyrightlaw, and local history.Dr. Turley is a member of the Institute of Physics and an Associate

Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications.

A Modern Course in Antenna Theory and DesignDAVID M. POZAR, MEMBER, IEEE

Abstract-A senior/first-year graduate elective course is described,which uses the subject of antenna theory and design as a vehicle forstimulating student interest in applied electromagnetics as an area ofstudy and, possibly, as a career. This goal was attained by making useof demonstrations, optional student papers, and design-type problems.

I. INTRODUCTIONE LECTIVE courses in electromagnetics and its subareas,Esuch as microwave engineering and antennas, usually facetough competition for student's interest when other coursessuch as computer architecture, communications, and com-puter graphics are available. The reasons for this probablyhave to do with the difficulty in mastering electromagneticsmaterial, the fact that microwave engineering and antennasare "mature" subjects, and the relative glamour of competingfields, such as computers. The Department of Electrical andComputer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst has a long-term commitment to the education, atboth undergraduate and graduate levels, of engineers in micro-wave and antenna engineering, because of faculty researchinterest in the field and the strong job market for such engi-neers in the high-technology industries in the state and else-where. While there is, of course, no shortage of jobs in otherareas of electrical engineering (particularly in the computerfield), and although there is controversy about engineer short-ages in general [ 1], 12], there does seem to be a need for

Manuscript received April 28, 1982; revised August 31, 1982.The author is with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engi-

neering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.

engineers trained in applied electromagnetics. This paper,then, describes how a course in antenna theory and designwas developed and taught in a fashion designed to attractstudents to applied electromagnetics.Antennas are interesting and unique in many ways, and a

successful course will emphasize and rely on these attributesto stimulate students' interest. Antennas are very familiardevices-everyone has seen a variety of television, radio, satel-lite, and microwave-link antennas, and is generally intriguedby the often bizarre shapes, sizes, and geometries whichantennas may have. This strong dependence on geometry(a direct result of the fact that an antenna's size is generallyon the order of a wavelength, at its operating frequency) is afeature that distinguishes it from most other common elec-trical components (motors, digital and analog circuits, trans-ducers, etc.), and thus has a special appeal to students with ageometric bent of mind. Of course, it is this same feature thatrequires the full use of Maxwell's equations for solution, whichinvolves more sophisticated mathematics than most under-graduate electrical engineering courses; some students areattracted by this, others are not. Another selling point forantennas is that they are very practical devices, and factorssuch as applications, physical size, electrical parameters, andcost can readily be appreciated by students. Coupled with theabove is the feeling of many of the uninitiated that an antennais a rather mysterious device, whose operation is not readilyunderstood from elementary principles alone.This course, Antenna Theory and Design, was taught to 43

students at the University of Massachusetts during the FallSemester, 1981. In an attempt to relate the classroom theory

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