“Class dynamics are really different online. Normally, you can get a feeling whether students are committed or engaged.”

Open book In the long term, more educational challenges lie ahead, e.g. with examinations. “As Master Director, I am trying to help my colleagues with moving their examinations online. Some issues with that are how we can prevent fraud behaviour and how we can keep up the level of difficulty. We are now thinking of changing some exams into an open-book version, but that is not ideal. One solution is to replace multiple choice questions with open questions, as these require more thinking and are therefore also harder to cheat on. But while you have to make sure that learning goals are achieved, you also want to be charitable to students who are already having a difficult time of it.” Meanwhile, after fixing some teething problems and getting positive reactions from students, Calabretta has started to look forward to her online lectures. “I am now using the YouSeeU virtual classroom, which works well. I have also made some changes. Normally, it is part of the course that students have class debates on current design challenges, but that is not possible now. Instead, I have introduced guest lecturers and they like that a lot.” Nevertheless, online education is taking a lot out of the students. “They have to spend entire days online, for lectures, group work and brainstorms. They have to be creative, generate ideas, make sketches and so on. That is all much more time-consuming and tiring online, so it is no wonder students are not at their best at the moment.” Added to that are all the insecurities surrounding the current situation. “Some students have had to go back to their home countries and are now in different time zones, making it harder for them to collaborate with the others. They also worry whether they can actually complete the programme. That is a lot to cope with if you are in your early twenties. For us, things are different. We will be back next year teaching new students. They have to hang in there”, she says. “Some students are coping better than others. We try to motivate them, but we are also in touch with student representatives and associations, who can reach out to their peer groups. TU Delft is offering some online tools and resources, but the student community watching out for each other is really helping.” She also recently recorded a personal video message for her Master’s students. Silver lining Amongst all this, Calabretta can still see a silver lining. “My course, strategic value of design, is all about understanding the different ways in which design can add value to businesses and to society as a whole, now and in the future. My students have to prepare a vision on the role of design in 2030. Some were already working on the role of design in relation to technology, but they are now thinking of switching to how design can add value to society when crises of this magnitude happen. They are putting a lot of thought into the role of design in social innovation or politics, or in how companies can work together towards a more sustainable future. They are getting a better grasp of how their work can contribute to this.” Calabretta hopes that something good will come out of this crisis eventually. “My students are really putting a lot of thought into that meaningful transformation that society needs. I hope that when the worst is over, we can meet and discuss how they can further develop that during the remainder of their education”, she says. “As one of my guest lecturers said, many companies will rely on designers for their reconstruction in the coming few years. Our design students are already focussed on humans and humanity. If we can put that focus at the centre of companies’ decision-making, or on how governments operate we can aim for a better future. It will take time, but that vision of a more meaningful future is there, so hopefully we can slowly move towards it.”