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operation "Defensive Shield", However, he shares the view to go home, and I didn’t want
many students were called to that "lecture־style teaching to stay there by myself", she
reserve military duties. At the and eye contact indeed are says. "Online learning gave
time, the Technion allowed irreplaceable, so we still have a me a sense of structure and
such students to pass their way to go in understanding how meaning, an anchor of sorts, a
courses without completing to make optimal use of online reason to get up in the morning.
all their assignments. It was learning". At first, using the Zoom app
the subject of considerable was challenging, but I felt that
internal debate. Today, course Elad Tenenbaum: the entire faculty and staff were
level and requirements are not “I think combining personal working to enable the courses to
compromised, but they are practice with theory in Faculty continue, planning the classes
transformed to suit a different courses is the right way to go” and supporting the students,
learning method". each in their own way. As time
Inbar Tsitiat, who takes Prof. went by, everything became
A winning Bucher’s lab course along with easier and more natural for most
combination other courses, also agrees that of the students, people asked
face-to-face interactions, both more questions, there was more
The lecturer was not the only with lecturers and with fellow of a dialogue during class".
one who was impressed־ students, are indispensable." Did the way you study change?
the students were, too. Elad "Being able to manage your "The teaching changed, and the
Tenenbaum, a soldier־student own time is very convenient, learning followed suit. We are
who completed both his and I can see the advantages slowly discovering alternative
undergraduate and graduate in being able to study and work ways of learning in study groups,
degrees at the Faculty, relates from home independently," she for example, which usually takes
his impressions: "When you says, "but not at the expense of place on campus. Now we use
realize how much effort the personal exchanges". Zoom and Google Docs. It’s
lecturer invested in making the "During the lockdown I went going well, however, I see online
course accessible to students back home, to the town of learning as something that
during this difficult time, you Shoham. My roommate at the should be added to classroom
feel a part of something very student dormitories had opted lectures, not replace them.
positive, and this translates Meeting the lecturer and the
into action." Tenenbaum other students online while
organized the effort to buy I’m at home is not the same as
microprocessors for all course meeting them in person. Still,
participants. "Controllers and you don’t feel as lonely during
peripheral equipment are cheap lockdown when lecturers give
and available these days, live online classes rather than
which makes this course ideal recorded ones, when they are
for online learning," he adds. available to take questions
"I hope this course will launch during a break or via email, when
a wider trend of combining they conduct online surveys־
personal practice with theory even just to ask how we are
in other courses, including core doing and how we are spending
courses. The course proved the holidays. It was nice and
that it’s absolutely doable." gave a sense of closeness".
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering | MEgazine | 21
