Near Yet Far

2021/02/20

My 96-year-old grandmother is in a nursing home in Sendai. Due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, visitors from Tokyo are not even allowed to enter the building. Therefore, I purchased a cellular model iPad with communication functions, and online visits became possible through video calls. In a situation where we had to be conscious of social distancing even among family members, it was a moment when the distance between family members closed. In academic societies as well, the introduction of web conferencing systems has progressed, with online symposia and online evening seminars being realized, and I hear that the number of participants from distant locations, who previously found it difficult to attend, is increasing rapidly. In this way, in the era of COVID-19, online conferencing systems have brought people much closer together.

So, what about classes? In the Faculty of Science and Technology, all classes for the spring semester of the 2020 academic year were moved online. In the compulsory course for second-year undergraduate students that I teach (Thermo-fluid Systems I), I filmed my board work and used unfamiliar video editing software to create lecture videos for on-demand distribution. I also filmed the demonstrations I used to perform during in-person classes (for example, disassembling a smartphone to observe thermal control devices). I felt just like a YouTuber. During the lecture period, Teaching Assistants (TAs) accepted questions in real-time using a web conferencing system. With this, preparations were almost as good as in-person classes. However, once the classes actually started, there were almost no questions for the TAs. Something was wrong.

In the department I belong to, we hold an annual laboratory placement briefing for third-year undergraduate students. In the 2020 academic year, it was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our laboratory distributed a laboratory introduction video (4 minutes) and also held a real-time online briefing using a web conferencing system. Since it is easier to participate compared to in-person briefings, I thought the number of participants would surely increase. However, when we actually held the briefing, the number of participants plummeted compared to when it was held in person. When I asked other laboratories about their situation, it was the same. Something was wrong.

I specialize in thermal engineering. Web conferencing systems have shortened the distance between people. However, there is something like a thin layer of insulation between the two, and neither my enthusiasm nor the other person's energy is transmitted. Does this mean further ingenuity is required?