Taking new tech in his stride

Zhang Li (right), a 95-year-old professor at Tsinghua University, teaches quantum mechanics course via Rain Classroom at home, with colleague Hu Jiazhong's tech support, in Beijing on Feb 20. [Photo provided to China Daily]

New situations bring new solutions and Zhang Li, a 95-year-old professor at Tsinghua University, is proving to be master at what, for him, is a new method of teaching: online classes.

On Feb 20 he started his class in a novel way to keep his students engaged as schools nationwide delayed the opening of the spring semester due to the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak.

With the assistance of a former student, Hu Jiazhong, who provided technical support, the oldest professor in Tsinghua who is still teaching began to offer his postgraduate course－frontier problems in quantum mechanics－online.

Having taught for 71 years, it is the first time that Zhang livestreamed his class. He has taught the subject since 1998.

Talking about online teaching, Zhang says: "My age may be the biggest challenge for me, because I cannot think as fast as I could in my younger years".

Using the Tsinghua Rain Classroom, an interactive teaching mini-program on WeChat, students can get lecture slides and raise questions on their tablets or smartphones.

"This teaching mode is very good, especially for students," Zhang says, on a video Tsinghua University released to China Daily, adding that in traditional classes, students are sometimes shy to ask questions, but online courses are different and students can leave messages any time in a WeChat group and this makes communication easier.

"These measures help students to be interested in physics, raise questions and think independently. In the future, they will dare to think about big issues in the field," Zhang says.

He adds that the teacher-student connection via technology should be maintained, and this will be beneficial to students.

For 32-year-old Hu, 10 years ago, Zhang's course opened a gate to the magical world of quantum mechanics. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States last year, he became a teacher at Tsinghua.

"Zhang's class covers cutting-edge research, which is beyond textbooks and needs consistent study and exploration," says Hu.