When UR faculty left for spring break, they had no way of foreseeing a switch to remote teaching for the rest of the spring semester. Faculty members suddenly had to retool their classes to go online in a matter of weeks. According to the registrar's office, approximately 1,450 courses are being taught remotely this semester. 

To get a sense of how the semester was going, we asked nine instructors what they had learned in the pivot to online instruction. More than one told us they were pleasantly surprised at how well students adjusted to distance education, despite the challenges. Read on for more of their insights.  

“My students have been absolute troopers so far. They have had perfect attendance at Zoom sessions, are turning in their work, and asking thoughtful questions. They seem to be taking it all in stride.” –Jennifer O’Donnell, manager of Biological Laboratories  

“The biggest challenge of remote teaching has been having to let go of the pleasures that come with teaching students in person. The classroom can be such a charged space, animated, and often electrified by the exchange of ideas. And that magical alchemy only happens when students and teachers are physically present with one another. I hated having to give that up, especially because my students this semester are amazing. –Kevin Pelletier, associate professor of English 

“I’ve been so impressed by our students. I know that many of them are facing a lot of uncertainty about their housing, summer employment, and their other classes. But they’re still doing their readings, coming to class, and working on their papers. I’m so proud of how well our students are handling all of these changes.” –Jessica Flanigan, associate professor of leadership studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law; Richard L. Morrill Chair of Ethics and Democratic Values  

“I find there are a couple dimensions to this new normal: One is the technical. How do I teach now? How do they learn? But the other has to do with motivation. I ended up giving my students what I now think of as an ‘existential pep talk. That’s the beauty of this moment. We have a huge opportunity. Make the most of it. I’m here for you, and I care about how this turns out.” –Andy Spalding, professor of law 

“Students are adapting, although I think it has been as difficult for them as it has been for us. Concentrating is hard. They can’t ask questions as readily as before. They can hear my voice and see my slides, but it’s difficult to see facial expressions, etc. To help them cope, I’ve opened virtual office hours. Hopefully, if we work one on one, it will be easier for them.” –Isaac Skromne, assistant professor of biology 

 “My face-to-face teaching will definitely change in the fall – as all the slides I’ve been forced to create will get used in the classroom. I can also use the videos I’ve created to help students who missed classes because of illness or travel, even to share with them to reinforce their learning. All of this will – I hope – make 1-1 time more useful so that we can dig deeper, in the class and in office hours.”  –Maura Alexander, Instructor of Finance, Robins School of Business 

“As a result of remote teaching, I can see the benefit of students having the opportunity to review and think through tough concepts at their own pace. Thus, I think even when I’m teaching face-to-face again, I will try to record and provide supplemental, instructional videos in my courses.”–Ashley Austin, assistant professor of accounting 

“I am able to teach some music through Zoom, but because of latency, it can only go one way. Everyone mutes their audio and plays along with me at home. Incidentally, we are also running our community gamelan – Indonesian music ensemble – this way as well. Everyone has taken instruments home and plays along with me and my family playing at our house.” –Andy McGraw, associate professor of music 

As the University of Richmond community continues to adjust to this period of remote instruction, current information on COVID-19 and the University’s response can be found here.