Active learning, hardware projects and reverse instruction in microwave/RF education

We report on our lessons-learned regarding teaching microwave/RF classes at PSU for the last five years. Central themes of our pedagogy involve having students do as much as possible by themselves (active learning), using authentic/realistic projects, and using the lab for true experimentation, which encourages failure-iteration cycles. Students are given many different opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities with projects and soft-skills (writing, presentations) playing a prominent role. We also discuss the role of misconceptions and how they hamper student learning, and propose development of a concept inventory for microwave/RF education. Such a development may provide a significant boost in the effectiveness of microwave/RF education.