FLEXIBLE TACTICS TO FACE COVID-19 AND SOCIAL OUTBREAK IN CHILE

The COVID-19 pandemic can be considered as one of the world’s largest crises in the last century. Its effects are observed in many fields, and tertiary education is no exception. In Chile, its impact has been exacerbated by an ongoing social outbreak since October 2019. This context motivated huge changes in the way engineering courses are taught and how learning is achieved and assessed. The situation is causing difficulties to students and teachers, who still manage to overcome them and advance in the teaching-learning processes. This article describes a set of flexible tactics implemented to manage the general context existent during the first term of 2020 at the School of Engineering and Science of Universidad de Chile. We provide testimony of the situation we faced and guidance for similar courses. The case study corresponds to a compulsory course in the Mechanical- Engineering curriculum. Restricted evidence (self-perception surveys of 24 students) supports effective delivery through increased flexibility in the use of teaching-learning and assessment tools and frequent monitoring of student’s attitudes and perceptions. Evidence supports the achievement of the course learning goals. Lessons learned helped designing a new version, still in online mode.