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> Noa Lutsky online materials, "so the shift to the Zoom app".
online learning was a naught־ So everyone pitched in.
Have you ever felt to־sixty type of leap," says "In this type of effort, one
like you were part of Assoc. Prof. Or. individual can be the difference
history in the making? When the current crisis erupted, between failure and success,
Most people never "we quickly realized that online and the vast majority of faculty
do. But somehow, learning will be key, and our members adapted to the new
the global coronavirus crisis has first step was to acquire the situation with total commitment.
all of us feeling that something necessary equipment for our It wasn’t a natural transition for
big is happening, something lecturers־graphic tablets, some. We have older and retired
that is forcing humanity to high־quality webcams, faculty members, some who
withdraw and reorganize, to USB connectors. Everyone, work outside the faculty and are
look at almost everything we ourselves include, stormed extremely busy־but nearly all
do differently. This dramatic the computer hardware stores of them found a way to carry on
change is taking place at a time and our administrative and teaching and even to administer
of emergency and uncertainty. IT staff acquired video and online exams. We made a
For the Technion’s students, recording equipment at an special effort to help students in
whose curriculum is normally a impressive speed. They turned their final year, to enable them
highly structured constant, the three classrooms into veritable to complete their degree".
situation put in question many studios. Our faculty members The challenge wasn’t just a
issues. For faculty members, technological one.
who must prepare course Prof. Izhak Bucher: "The "Certainly. Some of our faculty
materials well ahead of classes, students had to build members are parents to young
the disruption was even greater. their own laboratories at children who were also at
These days, the Faculty of home, and connect them home at the time. The lack of
Mechanical Engineering is to the laboratory at the interpersonal interaction is also
making its first־ever real Technion. This learning very challenging; during an
distance learning run, certainly process stimulated their online class, you don’t always
in terms of scale and scope, with creativity and proactivity." know who is attending your
nearly 90% of all courses now lecture or whether the students
available online. "The challenge were given emergency staff understand what you are
was enormous," admits Assoc. clearance, so that they could relating".
Prof. Yizhar Or, who, in his come in and record their lectures How did you support faculty
current position as Faculty in the classrooms". members and students?
Vice Dean for Teaching Affairs, "The lecturers were free "First of all, the academic staff
directed the transition to online to choose their method of tried to be available as much
learning. While other faculties teaching," Prof. Or explains. as possible, to help with any
and departments made tentative "Some opted to make all problem or question. The
online learning attempts over learning materials digital, some Technion’s Center for Promotion
the years, offering several preferred to make video or audio of Learning and Teaching issued
of their classes as MOOCs recordings of their lectures and instructional videos on how to
(Massive Open Online Courses), send them to their students, and use online tools. Many solved
the Faculty of Mechanical others gave live classes using the problems they encountered
Engineering did not develop any themselves, but we made a
point of giving extra support to
18 | MEgazine | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
