Online teaching of practical classes under the Covid-19 restrictions

COVID -19 pandemic and its restrictions bring new challenges to all aspects and phases of higher education. At universities, new remote formats have been developed and deployed for lectures and laboratory exercises. This article addresses challenges and introduces the new experience with lectures and laboratory classes during the pandemic time at the Department of Measurement of the Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Based on the student survey of more than 250 students describes the possibilities of how to adapt the lectures during the lockdown. The article also introduces the Home Lab, a tool developed in the department that helps in distance teaching practical electronic classes. Home Lab includes two parts with functional groups, a Laboratory Experimental Device and a System of Measurement Instruments. The article also shows the opportunity for suitable remote exercises and variants of circuits that can be easily assembled and measured using Software Defined Instrument based on various microcontrollers. A detailed description of all Software Defined Instruments is also present. During the Pandemic, the home lab model was successfully practically verified during distance learning in three subjects, with more than 150 students per semester. It has also been shown that the Home Lab can be successfully deployed for a semester project. The article also presents experience with the teaching software-oriented courses. At the end of the article, practical knowledge and an experience from distance teaching during a three-semester lockdown are shared.