Emily Nix built her own lightboard to bring her economics lectures to life while teaching online this fall. (Photo/Courtesy of Emily Nix)
Professors go remote to engage students in 2020
USC professors stepped up in some pretty creative ways to serve their students during the pandemic. Meet a few of them and see how they did it.
USC faculty members showed their dedication to their students — and their resourcefulness — by drawing on best practices for remote teaching in 202o. They quickly moved classes online as part of safety efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some even made national news for their innovation.
Meet several USC professors who thrived in the remote academic environment and found ways to keep college students excited and learning.
? Emily Nix:
“I’m not someone who wants to give my students a subpar experience. How can I best replicate the in-person learning experience online and make it engaging and exciting and cool?”
https://news.usc.edu/174170/
? Jack Feinberg
“We couldn’t do really fancy-dancy stuff. But you can show the basic principles of physics with some really simple equipment.”
https://news.usc.edu/trojan-family/college-physics-experiments-at-home-covid-19-usc/
? John Walsh:
“I can tell when students are getting fatigued because their eyes are rolling back in their heads. That’s when it’s time to get on the floor.”
https://news.usc.edu/178207/john-walsh-usc-gerontology-professor-stretching-students-online-classes/
? Gail Katz:
“I’ve produced a lot of movies, but nothing like this.”
https://news.usc.edu/178304/gail-katz-virtual-film-tv-production-how-to-usc-cinematic-arts-students/
? Patrick Corbin:
“If you’re working in the professional commercial world or concert world, you often use a hotel room to warm up. These are transferable skills. They’re just getting them a little sooner.”
https://news.usc.edu/169785/usc-online-classes-ceramics-theater-architecture-arts-remote-teaching/
? Christian Grose:
“As the semester progressed, I witnessed firsthand the students’ knowledge levels deepen. By the end of the semester, the USC students were true experts in how to fix American democracy.”
https://news.usc.edu/179316/fixing-democracy-usc-online-class-political-reform-christian-grose/
? Gorjana Bezmalinovic:
“I love helping the students. They like me, and I’m always in a good mood with them. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
https://news.usc.edu/trojan-family/usc-online-classes-covid-get-creative/
? Brian Roberts:
“In the face of all of this, you still have to get a show on the air.”
https://news.usc.edu/169174/usc-television-station-trojan-vision-zoom-production-covid-19/
? Scott Tennant:
“We’re doing all of this for the students. They’re the No. 1 — they’re the only priority.”
https://news.usc.edu/167839/teaching-music-online-usc-thornton-professors-remote-learning/
Interested in learning more about best practices for remote teaching? Visit the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching.
