As the pandemic hit, many things were shifted online. Courses, meetings, discussion sessions now happen remotely. Although there are benefits of having such meetings on online platforms, people are now suffering from existential dilemmas. People might feel they do not exist or the people in the online platforms (who are mostly black boxes) do not exist. Walking meetings or Brainwolks with appropriate measures could solve this issue. Brainwolk is a method adapted by our teacher Aino to provide support for her students by walking outdoors. The meeting happens in group of people divided in pairs, maintaining social distancing, and provides an excellent opportunity to walk in nature and discuss face to face.
In previous years, we have implemented Brainwolks in courses (Psychology in Human-Technology Interaction and User Experience in Robotics) for brainstorming sessions. This year Aino decided to continue Brainwolk sessions with few students who work closely with her. So far, we have had two sessions in Suolijärvi trail and one around Hervanta area. We formed pairs of two and started walking, and switched walking partners after a particular time. This way, we all got to talk to each other and discuss about our current living situation, studies, cultures, and problems. This method is helpful in knowing different people and enjoy the beauty of nature, in addition to getting supervision for the studies.
We would strongly recommend the Brainwolk method and hope supervisors from CS unit will try this with their students (let us know your experience if you do!).
Aparajita and Kamran, on behalf of Brainwolkers
