-by ECU News Services
The start of fall classes at East Carolina University on Aug. 10 brought excitement — and many changes from previous semesters.
Students are following the Ws: wearing face masks, waiting 6 feet apart, and washing hands often. Daily self-assessments are required.
Classes are a mix of in-person and online to help de-densify campus. Buildings and sidewalks have been converted to one-way corridors to help reduce points of contact. Cleaning wipes await students in classes, while hand sanitizer stations are scattered across campus. Staff have ramped up cleaning, Plexiglass barriers have been installed in busy areas, and no-contact pickup is offered in dining locations.
ECU’s Return of Pirate Nation is finally here.
fast facts
ECU has moved to block scheduling and altered the academic calendar to provide more flexibility and to end the semester by Thanksgiving.
Classes of more than 50 students are online so larger spaces can be used for smaller classes to provide social distancing.
#Piratesmaskup
We're just wearing masks and social distancing. I'm happy to be back, and I'm ready to learn."
—Matthew Wilkins, junior, of Grifton
A social media initiative, #PiratesMaskUp, promotes mask wearing on campus.
by the numbers
- 28,831 students in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs are registered for classes this fall. (Unofficial numbers until 10-day census count).
- 4,283 freshmen and 1,904 transfer students are registered for fall semester.
- Approximately 5,500 students are living on campus.
Top NC counties for entering freshmen
- Wake
- Mecklenburg
- Pitt
- Guilford
- Johnston (tie)
- Cumberland (tie)
Top out-of-state homes of entering freshmen
- Virginia
- New Jersey
- Maryland
- New York
- Pennsylvania
Top transfer institutions
- Pitt Community College
- Wake Tech
- Wayne Community College
- Craven Community College
- Nash Community College
new student convocation
This year, the student convocation featured pre-recorded addresses. Interim Chancellor Ron Mitchelson encouraged students to make the most of 2020-2021 despite the coronavirus and all its accompanying challenges.
“Pirate Nation has been built on perseverance and strength. We give no quarter in the face of adversity,” Mitchelson said. “We know how to handle tough times.”
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy urged students to stay involved and engaged. “To be successful here, you need to invest in yourself,” she said. “Going to class is one important way to invest in yourself.
“Connect with others, stay motivated, invest in yourself and finish strong,” Hardy said.
Tucker Robbins, president of the Student Government Association, challenged students to make the most of their college experience. “Four years will fly by in the blink of an eye,” he said.
It looks promising. Hopefully we'll get to stay here a long time."
—Ahsan Rafique, senior, of Morrisville
I think they were ready to get back to learning. They were ready to learn and to be in class and interact. They all wore masks. They were all socially distanced. They all seemed happy to see each other."
—Jeff Foeller, teaching instructor, Department of Engineering, College of Engineering and Technology
creating a safe environment
Being that I've been waiting to be back on campus since I left for spring break, you can guess that I'm excited to be back! The social distance guidelines have been thoroughly enforced and it makes me feel safe to be back."
—Camden Hare, sophomore, of Apex
Hare, who is pursuing bachelor degrees in theatre arts with concentrations in musical theatre and professional actor training, lives in Fleming Residence Hall, which is close to his classes. All but one of his classes are in person.
"My hopes for this year are to maintain these in-person classes and not be pushed back online," Hare said. "It is also my hope that people realize that it is a gift that we are able to be back and to not be empty-minded when it comes to that fact. Be wary of others and please wear a mask."
Jayme Host, director of the School of Theatre and Dance in the College of Fine Arts and Communication, said the majority of classes are face to face (either in part or entirely) due to its discipline-specific coursework. Students have been following the rules in place so they can stay in school. “The kids are so excited to be training on campus. Energy is filling our spaces,” Host said. “Our goal is to be safe and together and to advance the successful training of our students in a profound way despite the interruptions we’ve faced.”
Host assigned a COVID task force earlier this year to develop operational guidelines for the school in addition to university standards in an effort to create a safe environment that allows for the most authentic learning experience possible, she said. “We have a long tradition in our school ‘if you’re not early, you’re late.’ We can’t do that anymore. Students must wait outside until it’s time for class.”
DISTANCE EDUCATION
Dr. John Tucker, professor of history in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, said it’s early in the semester but everything is going well so far. This is his third time teaching via distance education (DE).
“While I don’t think that DE classes can match — much less surpass — the quality of face-to-face instruction, they do offer a safe alternative to higher education in times like these.
“I greatly value the online resources that Canvas offers, and would use them even if teaching face-to-face, but feel that DE sacrifices the social dimension of learning that makes the experience so valuable for students and faculty. We are social animals and need that part of life to grow as educated individuals.
Having said that, as a member of one of the ‘at-risk’ groups, I appreciate having the DE alternative. For one reason or another, many students are attracted to DE. Some of it might be the convenience of DE classes, but for others it’s a matter of personal health, especially now.”
EMBRACING THE CHALLENGE
Dr. Bhibha Das, assistant professor of kinesiology in the College of Health and Human Performance, said it has been a challenge to adapt to teaching online and she misses the in-person interaction with her students.
“I miss standing in front of a room, asking questions of students, using their responses as springboards for discussions that may never otherwise have occurred,” she said. “One of my greatest joys in teaching is seeing that ah-ha moment when a student finally gets how the classroom material impacts their personal and professional lives.”
She has, however, embraced one aspect of the online format: guest lectures.
“Typically it is hard to incorporate guest lectures because of timing and schedule conflicts,” Das said. “This semester, though, I had colleagues record lectures that I have uploaded onto Canvas. My students will hear from my colleagues across the country on a wide spectrum of topics dealing with aging, including age-related hearing loss and its relationship to cognitive decline, physical activity and quality of life in older adults, and the use of companion animals to improve quality of life in older adults.
“That’s an exciting teaching tool I will be using and one that I will continue to incorporate post-COVID.”
teaching hybrid
Dr. Douglas K. Schneider, who holds the Edwin B. Jones Family Endowed Professorship in Accounting in the College of Business, is teaching hybrid classes this fall.
“The in-person component this fall is presented in the same manner in the classroom as I have always done,” he said. “However, for the portion of the course I cannot cover in person, I rely on videos I produce to present the material. I also used videos I made this summer when I taught all online classes and in the spring semester after the transition to online teaching.”
Schneider said the video essentially shows what would be projected on the screen in a classroom and his comments on the video are largely the same as what he would say in class. “I also try to include in the videos the same brief illustrations from business news stories that I would present in class to convey the real-world relevance to the issues being covered.”
Credits:
Photos by Cliff Hollis and Rhett Butler. Others contributed. Videos by Reed Wolfley and ECU Creative Services.