Seeing the Invisible: How Virtual Reality is Revolutionising Electromagnetic Education
Virtual Reality is transforming the way students engage with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Across universities and institutions of higher education, educators are embracing Virtual Reality to make STEM education more immersive, engaging, and effective, bridging the gap between abstract ideas and real-world understanding. With Virtual Reality, students can now step inside complex theories, explore intricate systems, and interact with concepts, bringing learning to life beyond lectures.
In the quest towards transforming STEM education, Prof. Dr. Angela Amphawan, the Head of Smart Photonics Research Laboratory (link: /school-of-engineering-technology/smart-photonics-research-laboratory) at ºìÐÓÊÓƵ University, has introduced cutting-edge electromagnetics virtual reality experiments to students taking the Engineering Electromagnetics course (ETL2053) at ºìÐÓÊÓƵ University through Merlin’s Playground, in collaboration Telekom Malaysia Research & Development and Multimedia University. Developed between 2019 and 2023 and supported by RM2.49 million in funding from Telekom Malaysia Research & Development, Merlin’s Playground initiative opens up an immersive gateway into the world of electromagnetism, offering students an immersive, hands-on experience far beyond the traditional classroom setup (Figure 1).
The Engineering Electromagnetics course at ºìÐÓÊÓƵ University covers complex concepts in three-dimensional space, involving electric and magnetic vector fields, flux and wave propagation, and the interaction between these (Figure 2). Students can navigate through the Virtual Reality experiments at their own pace and make decisions at each point, using different real-time hand gestures and interactions to manipulate objects within the virtual world with their hands and controllers (Figure 3).
Through the Virtual Reality environment, students gained the ability to visualise and manipulate electromagnetic elements, such as the electric field, magnetic field, electric flux, magnetic flux, and magnetic force, typically imperceptible in real life, leading to significantly deeper comprehension than through conventional instruction. Rather than memorising diagrams, students are able to experience the direction and interaction of electromagnetic elements through movement and three-dimensional visual feedback. In addition, students can readily apply hand gestures such as the Right Hand Curl Rule, Fleming’s Left Hand Rule, Fleming’s Right Hand Rule and the Right Hand Product Rule in three-dimensional space to understand the interaction between these electromagnetic elements. This empowers students to construct their own knowledge and make sense of challenging concepts with greater clarity.
Merlin’s Playground turns curiosity into comprehension, transforming challenging electromagnetic concepts into exciting, eye-opening experiences. Students reported heightened engagement, enhanced understanding of complex concepts and a newfound enjoyment in tackling difficult material that once felt out of reach (Figure 4). In addition, the students scored well in their Coursework and Final Exam, despite Engineering Electromagnetics being a challenging course. As one of the foundational pillars of electronic and electrical engineering, electromagnetics underpins the design and functioning of countless modern technologies, such as optical fiber communications, wireless and satellite communications, semiconductor design, autonomous vehicles, renewable energy, medical imaging, Internet-of-Things and quantum computing. Electromagnetics is a gateway to a wide range of exciting and high-impact careers
The success of Merlin’s Playground at the university level offers a compelling model for earlier STEM education. Prof. Dr. Angela Amphawan, an Executive Committee member of IEEE Photonics Malaysia, actively champions STEM outreach initiatives, particularly those targeting secondary school students. Her team promotes innovative STEM education outreach that blends technology and experiential learning. The aim is not just to teach students what science is, but to inspire them to imagine themselves as future engineers, scientists and innovators.
Prof. Dr. Ts. Angela Amphawan
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Email: @email