ESU Launches “Creative Classroom” Series

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Posted by: Elizabeth Richardson on March 18, 2021, No Comments

During a time of significant disruption in teaching modalities, largely due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic, East Stroudsburg University announces the launch of a video series titled “Creative Classroom” aimed to share some of the innovative online teaching practices used by faculty throughout the 2020-2021 academic year.

“When the pandemic erupted in Spring 2020, our deans and faculty began the tireless work of taking many face-to-face classes in another direction,” said ESU’s Provost Joanne Z. Bruno, J.D. “We all knew the magnitude of the transition to remote learning would be challenging, not only for some faculty in specific disciplines but also for students who were more accustomed to the interaction that accompanies the classroom experience.”

The series came to light after Dr. Chris Kavanau, assistant professor of biological sciences, began taping and sharing portions of his course, Biology 116: Human Anatomy and Physiology I for the Health Sciences, which involved in-person dissection on a grassy portion of University lawn near the Science and Technology Center. The overwhelming student response to class engagement gave other University leaders the spark to promote Dr. Kavanau’s work and other classes in various disciplines that was taking online education in new directions.

The series of five videos will launch Thursday, March 18, 2021 on the University’s social media platforms, one new video each week. In addition to the biological sciences, the series will cover alternative teaching methods associated with 3D printing, digital media technology, teacher education and exercise science.

“We hope these videos will be an inspiration to other faculty and teachers everywhere,” added Bruno. “In our current world where human contact is minimized, these videos give us hope that technology can help us bridge the divide. We also hope it will invigorate those college-age students who are skeptical about online learning to recognize that there are creative options to learning here on our campus.