CONNECT 2021

DR. GABRIEL COOK “We’ve come to understand that things aren’t going to be perfect, but putting in the effort is worth it, and now we know we can get through anything.” Dr. Donald French of the Department of Integrative Biology encountered similar challenges, including how to continue with a course-based undergraduate research experience, or CUREmodel of instruction. “This involved having students collaborating in teams to conduct multi-week experiments that they designed,” French said. “The challenge was to continue to provide this collaborative, authentic experience where students would continue to gain experience in the use of laboratory equipment.” The solution happened “almost overnight,” French said, with instructors teaching each other how to use collaborative authoring tools to enable easy document sharing and video conferencing with students. “The instructors then served as the hands in the lab while the students directed them and monitored the data collection over the internet. It was amazing to walk into a lab of experiments running and the instructor walking from station to station to converse with each team by videoconference.” That was spring 2020. By fall 2020, half of each four-person lab team came in to do hands-on experiments while their counterparts participated simultaneously via webcam. “I wish I could say there were no technical difficulties or stressful situations, but overall I can say that students produced work of the same caliber as pre-pandemic,” French said. GREENWOOD’S CHANGES In addition to webcams and the ever-present face masks, departments utilized supplies ranging from disinfecting sprays, UV-C lighting and HEPA air filters to USBmicrophones, specially designed vocalist masks and musical instrument covers — the latter three applying, unsurprisingly, to the Greenwood School of Music. Dr. Donald French OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SC I ENCES 25