AUWCL Professors Make the Most of Remote Teaching as University Responds to Coronavirus
March 30, 2020
American University announced on March 12 that, in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, it would transition to online classes for the rest of the semester for the safety of the AU community. For American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL), that meant courses switched to an online format immediately upon the return from spring break, Monday, March 17.
AUWCL has successfully moved all of its more than 200 spring semester offerings – from 1L doctrinal courses to seminars to moot court trainings – online. With the help of the Office of Online Learning and an online support team, faculty have adapted well, recording lectures from home and leading live class sessions on Zoom. Many have come up with creative ways to connect with students by holding virtual lunches, starting class with anonymous check-ins through Zoom polls, and even stopping class for a few minutes to have students introduce their pets.
“As someone who was both nervous and skeptical that online teaching would be as good as in-person, I've been more than pleasantly surprised,” said Assistant Dean Bill Snape, who is teaching Property and Animal and Wildlife Law this semester. “First, our students are very engaged right now. Second, going online has forced me, in a very positive way, to re-evaluate my teaching methods on specific modules or sections within each class.”
For the professors, the Zoom format provides a different view of the classes and students they’ve been teaching since January.
“Oddly, the remote teaching experience almost brings me closer to my students,” said Professor Angela J. Davis, who is teaching Criminal Law to a section of evening students. “I see them in their home environments; they seem more relaxed; and I’ve even seen some of their adorable children. My students have been patient and helpful as I learn this new way of teaching.”
Second year law student Daniel Crawford, citing his professors’ varying levels of technical skills in the classroom, says he was worried about the move to Zoom at first, but he has been pleasantly surprised with the online experience so far.
“My professors have all embraced online teaching,” says Crawford whose current courses include Secured Transactions with Professor David Snyder and Contemporary Topics in Administrative Law with Professor Jeff Lubbers. “All of my professors were incredibly prepared – they definitely practiced and are providing students tips and accepting feedback to better the experience for everyone. It is not perfect, but the professors are doing everything they can to give us the best experience possible. I am pretty stoked about that.”
“I think Dean Jaffe and the administration has done a great job taking this seriously from the start and it has been obvious to me that the focus has been on student health and wellness,” Crawford said.
Professor Robert Tsai, who is teaching Constitutional Law, says his students have been quick to adjust to the new format.
“Our students have been just tremendous,” Tsai said. “They have adapted to remote learning while remaining cheerful and energetic. They are committed, as I am, to squeezing every last drop of learning from the limited, socially distanced, time we have together.”
Tsai added that he is trying some new things to make up for the faculty-student hallway interactions, meetings in the Capital Atrium, and personal attention that are a staple of the AUWCL experience. “I’m using the zoom break out rooms to foster some legal discussion and social interaction,” he said. “And, I’m also holding virtual Con Law coffee hours, which my dog Pie, has been joining!”
Most importantly, notes Snape, both students and teachers alike have found ways to keep communicating – live chats, texts, emails, conference calls, phone calls, Zoom written chats, etc. – in a way that captures the traditional spirit of an AUWCL education.
“I believe in our school, staff, students, and fellow professors more than ever,” Snape says. “We are stronger and better by rising to this challenge.”