午夜剧场

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 by using video calls, online visits became a reality. In a situation where even family members must be conscious of social distancing, it was a moment when the distance between family members felt closer. In academic societies, the introduction of web conferencing systems has progressed, enabling online symposiums and online evening seminars. I hear that the number of participants from distant locations, who previously found it difficult to attend, is rapidly increasing. 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 2020 spring semester were moved online. For the compulsory course for second-year undergraduates that I teach (Thermal and Fluid Systems I), I filmed myself writing on the blackboard, used unfamiliar video editing software to create lecture videos, and distributed them on-demand. 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 almost like a YouTuber. During the designated lecture time, Teaching Assistants (TAs) used a web conferencing system to accept questions in real-time. With this, I felt I had prepared something comparable to an in-person class. However, once the classes actually started, there were almost no questions for the TAs. Something was wrong.

The department I belong to usually holds laboratory placement information sessions for third-year undergraduates every year. In 2020, this was held online due to the pandemic. Our laboratory distributed a laboratory introduction video (4 minutes) and also held a real-time online information session using a web conferencing system. Unlike in-person sessions, I thought the number of participants would increase because it is easier to join. However, when we actually held the session, the number of participants dropped sharply 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 thermal insulation between the two parties, and neither my enthusiasm nor the other person's energy is transmitted. Does this mean further ingenuity is required?