For his course on computer vision, Todd Zickler is engaging a hybrid format of lecture and lab work. Zickler, the William and Ami Kuan Danoff Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, plans to curate and post lecture material so students can access it anytime they need it.
In the more hands-on portions of the course, students will work on team projects using their phone cameras in their homes to capture images and then using coding platforms to write algorithms that allow computers to perceive and interact with the visual world by augmenting reality. During class time, students will work in small groups writing code in breakout rooms. While students won’t get to access some of the equipment they would in campus laboratories, Zickler said the firsthand experience working with limitations and finding creative ways around them is a critical lesson for any engineer.
“That’s what engineering design is all about: Creating things with the constraints of the resources that you have available,” Zickler said.
Some labs have also found ways to bring in field work, as well. Take the first-year seminar on microbial ecology and symbiosis taught by Colleen Cavanaugh, Edward C. Jeffrey Professor of Biology. The course typically features a number of field trips to observe microbes like lichens on the Boston Harbor Islands or corals at the New England Aquarium. Her course this year will still include some exploration to show students that “we live in a microbial world,” said Cavanaugh. First-years living on campus, for example, will venture out to locations like Harvard Yard to look for legumes such as clovers, or algae from local ponds to bring back to their dorms and examine under microscopes (which will be included in their take-home lab kits) during class time, while students studying at home will do the same in their own environments.
Arts departments like Theater, Dance & Media have also recalibrated their thinking to recreate the feel of in-person rehearsals and redefine what constitutes live performance, said James Stanley, the artistic producer for the department. For rehearsals, for instance, they are experimenting with live-streaming software like OBS to cut down on virtual lag so all performers are in sync. Some professors, Stanley said, have changed courses to focus more on solo performances like monologues rather than scenes to work around this, and to give them one-on-one time with actors and dancers. The department also sees an opportunity to integrate more media such as short films into coming performances.
Andrew Clark, director of choral activities and a senior lecturer in music, said the Department of Music has made similar efforts. The three choir-based courses he teaches in the fall will focus on skill-building workshops for individuals and small groups to help students connect with Clark and with each other. He will also tailor lessons for the full groups, usually 40 to 50 students.
The choirs are also planning on incorporating other media and outlets like poetry, written reflection, illustrations, and even photography for performances to accommodate students in living situations where they can’t sing or play instruments loudly. Clark enlisted the help of about 30 students over the summer to help think through some of these elements and more, like how to hold auditions online. “If we were going to build a new space [online], it wasn’t going to work unless the students themselves were the co-architects,” Clark said.
Across the board, most professors said the push to bring their courses online has been demanding. For his introductory class on neurobiology, Jeff W. Lichtman, the Jeremy R. Knowles Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Santiago Ramón y Cajal Professor of Arts and Sciences, is recording about 70 lectures, synching them with PowerPoint presentations, and making them interactive to keep students engaged. (His 25-minute lectures won’t proceed unless students answer questions that pop up on screen.)
“A lot of people assume that professors, because most of us are researchers, especially in the sciences, that that’s really all we do,” Lichtman said. “But you don’t come to an undergraduate campus if that’s all you really are interested in. Most of my faculty colleagues do have an interest in conveying ideas to young people. They want to be professors in the literal sense. They want to profess; they want to teach; they want to encourage; and they want to enlighten. Throw a couple of obstacles in their way, and most faculty will try to figure out how best can we fulfill our mission.”