Hands-on Learning At-Home

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Sharon McCann and Melissa Nini

At the end of May, MAE faculty started to plan laboratories and lectures for the possibility that the fall semester would be in part, or fully, remote. For eight weeks over the summer, faculty and staff partnered with 21 MAE undergraduates to test and develop a variety of ways to deliver the best possible teaching and learning experiences remotely, along with the policies, processes, and technology to support them. For example, several MAE fall courses have student-tested lab kits for at-home use, manipulatives for following along in real-time with demonstration lectures, remote-controlled lab experiments, and much more. In addition, we shared our ideas with other Princeton departments and hope that some of the remote teaching ideas will provide long-term educational and organizational benefits.

Remote kits were sorted, packed, and shipped over the past several weeks.  Thank you to everyone who helped plan for a new educational landscape this fall. It’s another example of how the spirit of innovation and collaboration within our MAE community brings out the best in all of us, especially during the challenges of academic life during a pandemic.

 

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Large stack of cardboard boxes with shipping labels
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Person with face mask and glasses standing near stack of boxes
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Lab materials in box wrapped in plastic and styrofoam
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Table covered with green instruments wrapped in plastic
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Table covered with kits and packing materials