Over 40 hours of online lessons were delivered to faculty and students in the degree programs in Management Engineering, Design, Civil Engineering, Construction, and Land Management. This is the summary of the first two days of distance learning offered by the University of the Republic of San Marino to ensure ongoing learning in safe conditions in light of the evolving COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.
The service was made available thanks to an initiative that last week engaged academics and university staff, particularly the IT Services Office, in a series of tests that, starting March 9th, enabled students at the University of San Marino to follow lectures delivered in real time by instructors on their computer screens. The platforms used also allow students to create their own groups for exchange and discussion.
According to data collected by the University, for example, the area dedicated to first-year students of the three-year Design program has so far recorded 99 participants and 776 interactions.
"This service allows us to continue our activities and represents a valuable incentive for students who are spending time at home," explains Alessandra Bosco, director of the three-year Design program. "Our instructors have developed specific content to be shared and shared online, curating lessons that include time for questions and interaction. Finally, on March 31st, we've scheduled our first online graduation session, which will involve nine students from the master's degree program."
Among the Civil Engineering professors involved in online classes is Andrea Grilli: "The service works well, interacting with students is simple and effective, and the content is the same quality as in the classroom. It's certainly a positive experience, given the current context. I'd also like to point out that my research activities, which include planning road maintenance on Mount Titano with the Autonomous State Agency for Public Works, have not been interrupted so far and are proceeding optimally. In other words, the suspension of on-site teaching activities hasn't stopped my research."
