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acquire: Teachers and lecturers that were formerly ready and the learning. And the trust
are no longer perceived as available for them at the we established extended to
exclusive owners of knowledge, lab, they were now required exams, too־they take exams by
who impart it to students in a to use another set of skills themselves, at home".
linear process. Rather, they are and combine several fields What about the interpersonal
partners in a learning process, of knowledge. This learning interaction?
which creates and reshapes process stimulated their "It’s hard to teach without eye
knowledge everywhere, all the creativity and proactivity. contact or seeing the students’
time. previously, I would not have body language, but I make
myself available as much as I
An online lab Inbar Tsitiat: "It helps when possibly can־by email or phone.
course? lecturers give live online I extended my office hours and
classes rather than recorded was available from 7 AM to 11
One example of a lecturer who ones, when they are available PM. The course is very much a
has completely transformed his to take questions during a live course. The students also
course is Prof. Izhak Bucher. The break or via email, when they have an active WhatsApp group,
lab course, Microprocessor־ conduct online surveys־even where they can find help.
Based Product Design, is the just to ask how we are doing" "And there was another
only Faculty lab course currently advantage to this form of
being taught online. "I wasn’t trusted them enough to let them learning: We ended up building
sure I wanted to do it at first. It do it by themselves, but now I a lab with ten stations.
required an entirely different see that it’s possible". Originally, the course is
outline," says Prof. Bucher. "I How was it done, technically? intended for 20 students.
was determined to keep the "Eyal Baruch, the course’s tutor, Thanks to online learning, we
course at its high level and so, lives in the student dormitories now have 32 participants from
I had to practically reinvent it on campus, so he was able to across the country".
to suit the new conditions. I install a webcam in the lab and Do you remember previous
prepared new presentations make videos. At the beginning events that necessitated
and created materials using of the course, the students distance learning?
elements I had never used programmed and remotely "Of course, but not at this scale.
before. The students had to operated the systems in the In the past, online learning was
build their own laboratories at lab. Later on, they also built not technologically possible,
home, and connect these to independent systems. A real DIY and our faculty members were
the lab at the Technion. I have mini־startup. I am extremely not willing or ready to move
taught this course continuously proud of them. to digital platforms. In this
since 1997, and this experience "The collaboration among the sense, the coronavirus crisis
gave me the ability to make students was remarkable־they triggered a rapid and, in many
some bold adjustments. The bought microprocessors for ways, positive change. Video
course underwent some changes each other, helped fellow course recordings were made before
over the years, naturally, but participants with difficulties," this, and remote access was
they were never of this scope". Prof. Bucher adds. "Nobody possible, but only for some of
In this case, the students had to said ‘it’s too hard for me’ or ‘I the courses and almost never
be creative too. can’t do it.’ They all invested on an interactive platform.
"Definitely. Because they had themselves in it and kept up States of emergency were
to build and connect systems handled differently: During
20 | MEgazine | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
