Learning complex mechanical engineering and mathematical concepts and theories is difficult enough for many students. One can imagine how much more difficult these subjects have become with the complications of remote teaching and learning due to the pandemic.
But this didn’t hinder Mechanical Engineering Visiting Assistant Professor Eric Lee, Ph.D., with the help of some innovative technology and counsel from Associate Professor Pi-Sui Hsu, of NIU’s Educational Technology, Research and Assessment (ETRA). Lee implemented the use of a large screen Interactive Flat Panel (IFP) into his course to help students succeed in the challenging course.
Through the technology, students were able to see Lee’s writing on the whiteboard live and in real-time, allowing for interaction and questions, as opposed to recorded video lessons.
Lee received overall very positive feedback from students on the course evaluation and one student commented that the whiteboard made the course interesting as the visualization it provided “made problem solving easier.”
Hsu helped Lee with suggestions on how to apply the IFP to online teaching. Lee said, “She observed my teaching using IFP last Fall semester and provided feedback including various teaching pedagogies for effective online teaching.”
