Courses being taken at Union during the 2020 spring semester are now being moved from in person to online. Due to this change, professors are having to rewrite the remainder of the academic year in a new way.
“In a word: exhausting,” said Matt Lunsford, professor of mathematics, when he described the transition.
The adjustment has been far from convenient or effortless. The professors are working tirelessly to come up with new ideas and tactics in order to teach their class despite the circumstances.
Lunsford has taught at Union for over 25 years, and during that time, he has established a routine for his teaching style and how his classes should proceed. Now, he is having to change the way he teaches and interacts with students.
“In my discipline of mathematics, professors prefer to see the work of the student and not just the final answer,” said Lunsford. “That student work, which I call demonstration, is where the student attempts to put his or her thought processes down on paper so that the instructor can gauge how well the student understands the method, process and the logic necessary for working that particular problem.”
Lunsford is trying to replicate a classroom setting as much as possible by providing Zoom meetings to be a combination of demonstration, discussion and feedback. Due to the barrier of a computer screen, it makes the task of a typical classroom setting much more difficult to accomplish.
“The demonstration with discussion class meetings, which are the majority of my class sessions, have been impossible to replicate with Zoom,” said Lunsford. “I personally have found it difficult to present material to students who are not physically present with me, and my students have retreated from the discussion element while using Zoom.”
In regards to covering material, professors are making the most out of a challenging situation. They are excellence-driven despite the barrier we as a community are having to face.
Henry Allen, associate professor of history, is recording lectures and posting them online for his class to be able to view. He also uploads notes in order for his class to follow along with during the lecture. For Allen, he is still able to cover the required material for his class while also answering questions sent to him through email.
Where the majority of the struggle comes seems to be in classes such as math and science labs. The struggle is in the lack of kinesthetic learning, the learning style that requires one to be able to touch objects, use their hands and work problems. Now that the university is conducting learning online, there is a barrier in place for those that are taking such courses.
There are characteristics that are important to observe in a lab that become impossible while online. Characteristics such as temperature and subtle color changes.
Some professors feel dismayed that they no longer have the opportunity to meet with their students face-to-face for the remainder of the semester. The professors at Union did not choose this occupation because they wanted a classroom to be filled with empty chairs.
They are people-focused in hopes to inspire and equip the students that sit in the seats, remaining future-directed throughout the course.
“I have found that learning happens best for my students in the context of a relationship, a relationship that is not primarily about facts and figures, but about love….love for one another, love of learning and hopefully, love of discipline,” said Lunsford. “While the classroom has its limitations, I am realizing that this relationship is easier for me to foster in a physical environment than in a virtual one.”
Our circumstances are no longer what we, as a world, had previously perceived to be. The Union community as well as the entire world has had to evolve expeditiously.
Looking ahead, Lunsford is remaining Christ-centered, hopeful and optimistic in regards to what good can come out of COVID-19. He is choosing to cling to the Lord in this conundrum of a time, and I think we should too.
“Of course good will come from this pandemic, albeit in scientific discovery, community building, political and societal changes, etc. But at this moment, my answer is simply that our hope is in the Lord, and it is from Him that our strength comes,” said Lunsford. “Isaiah 40:31.”
