Hello,
I'm conducting a systematic review in order to understand how the educators are coping with the challenges regarding experimentation and hands-on activities in Engineering Education and the impact of this situation in learning and teaching amidst COVID-19. Until now, It seems to be that the classes only have been replaced by an online format with the accompaniment of simulators (software and virtual). Then, as Educators, How do you cope the reduction or elimination of experimentation and hands-on activities? ¿Did you implement other alternatives to address the problem with laboratories, experimentation and practice in engineering education?
Thanks in advance,
Best regards,
Jonathan
Dear Jonathan Álvarez Ariza ,
I am a professor of engineering (~25 years) and my subjects have always been laboratory.
Like everyone, I imagine that they started to be concentrated only in computer simulations.
Unfortunately, it is not ideal, as simulation in electrical and electronic engineering is an important step before practice of laboratories. Therefore, vision of real experimentation is lost.
There is no other way until life is back to normal.
And yes, it is undoubtedly a problem for students and teachers.
I wish everyone a lot of health.
Regards,
Prof. Wiltgen
Issue of experimentation and practices have been addressed to some extent by creating virtual lab having two methods. One is based on animation and by taking various data required for experimental to perform a test and results are arrived at. Second is by remotely triggering the experiment on a machine by having input datas and experiment is conducted remotely at a given slot of time.
I suggest you visit vlab platform on internet.
I am not in engineering myself but have a friend who teaches second-year students in packaging technology of microelectronics. They were able to keep the practical laboratory course but at the cost of the teachers, not the students: instead of having a class of 20-30 students in the lab, they divided the class into groups of three and go into the lab with each small group. It is a cleanroom lab, so masks and full body suits are required anyway. The time per group is a little shorter than it would have been with the entire class because it is easier to maneuver around, so the students really get an intense session and can ask questions more easily, but the expenditure of time for the teachers is immense.
The normal lectures is where it is less hands-on for the students, since they are exlusively online and it is not possible to pass around structural components as the teachers usually do. But the lab sessions are actually currently better from the students' perspective.
There are special laboratories as well as simulators to know his work in a practical way without convergence and risk
We support many capstone design and other design projects. Students are still designing together, often virtually. Our student fabrication shops have changed into a job shop model of operation, where students submit drawings and our staff (1 or 2 max) fabricate their parts. Students are able to reserve and gather in our large spaces in groups of 2-3 for testing and assembly, while staying socially distanced.
When asked how I analyze the reduction of experimentation and / or practical activities, since in my case more experiments are carried out on paper, forming programs with the possibility of reducing processes or improving times before and I like how students understand the importance of chemistry as the basis of the creation and reactivity of the product. On the other hand, on the implementation of other alternatives to address the problem with laboratories, experimentation and practice in engineering education, well in this sense the lack of laboratories, led them to visits to companies in an experiential way with the use of virtual platforms where the company focuses its problem of that day with the students, waiting at the end of the week for a report as part of the class.
I was a professor of automation and control engineering. Last year, we managed lab 3 times, but it is very difficult with respect to health authorities demands and recommendations (masks, distances...).
I have used available on-line tools and resources from some companies, links follow.
https://lx.festo.com/en/
https://lx.festo.com/en/how-it-works
https://inductiveautomation.com/resources/casestudy/waterloo?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo-newsfeed-html&utm_campaign=2021-04-15-automation-classroom&utm_content=case-study&mkt_tok=OTY2LVRVWC0yNjEAAAF8dUVLygPZb5k-PFkaxlV9jENDxJifjxezhyTzXeydwLTv1h-qkWIkhtb0Ro96idScwkHqYONdHj5ehJqrm-df2u6dqqZdgBrPQYJmc2EWgYmwaQ
I teach flow in non-erodible channels, I use youtube videos to assist my students, though this is not like when in the laboratory.
“The current evidence of falling attendance at traditional lectures suggests that many universities need to rethink and review the modes and experiences that underpin student learning,” says Nic Smith, provost of the Queensland University of Technology, on why an early morning encounter with engineering students made him reconsider the type of in-person learning that campus universities do best...
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/turbocharging-belonging-will-win-recruitment-race-campuses?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial-daily
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