Strategies for Delivering Online Biomedical Engineering Electives During the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Biomedical Engineering Education ( 2020) https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-020-00023-y
Teaching Tips - Special Issue (COVID)
Strategies for Delivering Online Biomedical Engineering Electives During the COVID-19 Pandemic JOSH W. GILES1 and STEPHANIE M. WILLERTH
1,2
1
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8W2Y2, Canada; and 2 Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8W2Y2, Canada (Received 21 June 2020; accepted 23 August 2020)
CHALLENGE STATEMENT The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) global pandemic has led to the need for social distancing and other health and safety measures to reduce the spread of the virus. This requirement has drastically affected the viability of traditional engineering course delivery methods. We were forced to adapt our teaching methods overnight as the province declared that all university teaching would be delivered online as of March 16th, 2020. Our Faculty of Engineering at the University of Victoria was in a unique position as the curriculum of our program runs year-round due to the requirement for students to take four mandatory single term work placements throughout their degree. As a result, we have offered a full complement of courses for students in the Year 2B and Year 4A terms during the Summer semester (May to August). This paper focuses on two-fourth year electives (1) ‘‘Introduction to Musculoskeletal Biomechanics’’ and (2) ‘‘3D Printing’’, which represent two different types of courses that are core to engineering education and thus required different approaches to be successful in current circumstances. Specifically, the former course was primarily knowledge and problem based, whereas the latter focused on practical experience in design for 3D printing. This paper discusses what we learned at the halfway point in the implementation and delivery of these online courses. The primary challenge in the Biomechanics course was applying online methods that could enhance student comprehension of the material
Address correspondence to Stephanie M. Willerth, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, BC V8W2Y2, Canada. Electronic mail: [email protected]
while ensuring that remote content delivery was at least as engaging as it was when delivered in person. The primary challenge for the 3D printing course was how to incorporate the engineering design process by adapting laboratories and group projects for online delivery while maintaining a good student experience. It should be noted that the instructors of these two courses deliberately chose two different methods for delivery of their lecture material (1. Biomechanics used pre-recorded and live sessions, 2. 3D Printing used live sessions). This difference resulted from the fact that the Biomechanics course involved more concepts of greater difficulty and thus combined asynchronoussynchronous delivery methods that enhanced comprehension were chosen. On the othe
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