Cross-Disciplinary Remote Course for Mixed Group of Students and Professionals

Lähdeaho, Oskari; Hilmola, Olli-Pekka

The vast amount of openly available information enables data-driven study of the surrounding world. The aim of this article is to present dissemination of methods to calculating exhaust gas emission and assessing the effect of weather in dispersion of said emissions that are possible to carry out with data from open data repositories. As the measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 virus has led to a temporary cease of contact learning, this course is implemented remotely online. The course offers a controlled environment to test the foreknowledge of the participants regarding environmental challenges tied in transport, and the effectiveness of the remote course in enhancing the awareness in said issues. Data will be gathered on the success of the course. It is used to enable continuous improvement of the course in terms of quality of the content and successfulness of the remote setting. In addition, the gathered data is used to determine the effectiveness of remote education and the preparedness of scholars to operate under special conditions. Through collaborative effort of the course organizers and attendees, the remote implementation can be successful. Also, the mixed group of organizers, students and professionals enable problem-oriented approach to the topic that is difficult to limit into a specific discipline. The pandemic and succeeding mitigation of COVID-19 spreading showcases the importance of planning education for such special situations. While the resulting circumstances are not pleasant, they serve as a promoter for rigorous planning of educational events.