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By Kyle Hobstetter on March 23, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic has caused Towson University to cancel face-to-face classes, professors are now moving their classes online through video, e-mail, Blackboard and other instances of distance learning. 

One issue that professor Harald Beck and his colleagues in the biology department have run into is that with distance learning there is no way to have classes involving lab work. That means there were a lot of syringes, medical gowns, face masks and gloves being unused on campus. 

After reading news stories about how hospitals and other medical facilities were in short supply of those materials, Towson University's biology department donated many of their lab supplies to the neighboring University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center over the weekend.

鈥淲e want to be as engaged as possible and working together to get through this,鈥� Beck says. 鈥淲e know this is a time of shortage, so we just wanted to find a way to help the community. We鈥檙e hoping that we can work with other departments in the university and deliver more supplies.鈥�

With COVID-19 causing a critical need of many medical supplies and protective gear, St. Joseph鈥檚 Medical Center was more than happy for the donation of hundreds of supplies. 

鈥淲e can鈥檛 thank our partners at Towson University enough for this generous contribution,鈥� says Dr. Thomas B. Smyth, president and CEO of the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center. 鈥淭his is an amazing example of teamwork as our community comes together to meet and overcome this unprecedented challenge.鈥�

Along with wanting to help the local community and its neighbors, one thought that came to Beck鈥檚 mind was that he鈥檚 taught some nurses and doctors who have gone on to work in the area.  As he thought about them being out there helping the community, he wanted to find a way that Towson University could help.

The biology department is not the only one donating supplies to St. Joseph鈥檚 Medical Center. TU鈥檚 nursing department also donated a long list of equipment that they use for simulations. 

Hayley Mark, chair of the nursing department, received an e-mail from the National Nursing Organizations and the Health Services Cost Review Commission from Maryland to see if nursing programs could donate supplies.

This led Mark and her fellow nursing faculty to donate everything they had in the department, including hand sanitizer, face masks, gloves, medical gowns and even diapers. Mark says that once the call came through, the nursing faculty jumped into action. 

鈥淏efore the call even came out, our faculty were asking if we could donate the supplies,鈥� Mark says. 鈥淢any of our faculty work part-time in the hospitals and clinics in Maryland as well as teaching at TU. They鈥檝e seen first-hand the need for personal protective equipment.鈥�

Make a connection

Beck admits that lectures over the rest of spring semester are going to be a little weird. That鈥檚 because instead of standing in a classroom full of students, he鈥檒l be in an empty lecture hall staring directly at a camera.

So on the last day of spring break, instead of getting one more day of relaxation before returning to the classroom, Beck spent time in his office recording lectures and adjusting his lesson plans for online-specific learning.

鈥淎s an extrovert it鈥檚 not very fun giving a lecture and not getting any questions or responses,鈥� Beck laughs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just super weird talking to an empty lecture room. But we have to get used to it, both students and faculty.

鈥淲hether that鈥檚 producing YouTube videos, having virtual office hours 鈥� meaning doing face-to-face through Skype, on the phone or through e-mail 鈥� there are different ways we can stay connected. It鈥檚 important that we let the students know we鈥檙e there for them in these uncertain times.鈥�

Watch Dr. Beck鈥檚 first online 鈥渓ecture鈥�

 

And as faculty across the university are looking to help the community, Beck is looking to help his fellow professors get used to online learning.

Beck is a member of the Academic Senate and an executive member of the TU鈥檚 American Association of University Professors. He is getting a lot of feedback from faculty, who like him, are working to familiarize themselves with online learning. 

He says one of the main concerns expressed by faculty as they are trying to record their lectures from homes, that either their pets or children come running across the camera. After doing the first few lectures in an empty classroom, Beck would welcome a few distractions.

鈥淭hose interruptions are a very human moment that may connect faculty and students even more,鈥� Beck says. 鈥淢y advice to faculty is that if something like that happens, just smile and keep going. Let the students see that you have beautiful pets and little ones.鈥�

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel鈥檚 priorities for Towson University: TU Matters to Maryland.