2020 issue 6

At 10:58 AM on Thursday, March 12th, Dr. Trauth sent out an email announcing that spring break would be extended by one week and that classes would be held remotely for two weeks after that. Statewide stay-at-home orders soon extended the remote learning requirement through the remainder of the semester. Classes did not resume on campus. Fortunately, in response to careful and continued monitoring of the COVID-19 situation, the Department of Mathematics had already planned a just-in-case optional training opportunity for faculty and graduate students for March 13th, the Friday before Spring Break. The training was intended to ensure instructors had an awareness of online learning technology as well as to share creative solutions and strategies should remote learning become necessary. One of the few Fridays of the year when Derrick Hall might be a little quieter is the Friday before spring break. Not this year. All hands were on deck. Faculty, staff, and graduate students filled multiple rooms in Derrick Hall to brainstorm and attend a crash course in Zoom conducted by Ms. Illona Weber. As part of the remote learning transition, all instructors were required to post a revised syllabus with plans for converting to an online platform by Wednesday, March 25th. These plans needed to recognize that some students might have little access to technology. This was a very challenging task for instructors with online teaching experience, yet most instructors had no experience with online learning. Personal plans for spring break were altered to allow for Zoom meetings of teaching forums to share and evaluate options. Meetings of these teaching forums continued throughout the semester. Instructors creatively made-do with what they had. Old Livescribe pens were dug out of drawers. White boards were set up in living rooms. Cell phones were innovatively mounted to enable video recordings. Power Point became an animation tool. As for much of the country, Zoom became an essential component of communication. It was used for holding interactive class, for recording lectures to be viewed online, for office hours and student appointments as well as for department meetings and teaching forums. People who had never heard of Zoom on March 11th quickly became confident users. Unlike students who chose to enroll in a class online, not all students had access to technology including computers, printers, and internet. Fortunately, most students had cell phones and were able to download necessary apps such as Zoom or creating pdf’s on their phones. The department was also able to loan laptops to students. Students also struggled with balancing school and the rest of their lives. Many students worked in an essential worker capacity and were being assigned longer hours to work. Some had family members with health issues. Instructors encountered a new stress of providing emotional support to students during a pandemic. Some students just disappeared. Unfortunately, online assessment opened up new opportunities for honor code violations. But remote classes happened. Final exams were given using multiple creative strategies. The semester was completed. Grades were submitted. Instructors were exhausted. Then, after a brief respite, Summer I began, fully online. Learn more abou t how Texas State is responding to the Covid 19 pandemic. Department Rapidly Transitions to Remote Learning 12