Tower-Fall-2020

14 TOWER | FALL 2020 Professor Builds aClassroom inVR In only his second year of teaching at Kutztown University, Dr. Marco Ehrl, assistant professor of communication studies, was thrown the ultimate curveball when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States. Thankfully, he had already laid the groundwork for a unique way to shift his classes online. Originally from Germany, Ehrl came to the U.S. to continue his education and fell in love with the various approaches to communication studies that he discovered in America. “It created my path,” he said. BY NIKKI M. MURRY ’98 From the start of his teaching career, using a hybrid of in-class and online instruction was important to him. About a year into his time at KU, he invested in a program that made it possible for students to go inside the classroom virtually. “I’d take 360-degree pictures at the beginning of the classes so students could use those images to actually see each other as they were giving their speeches,” Ehrl said. For a public speaking class, he snapped a photo of the classroom and students that he later inserted into a 360-degree virtual reality program. Students can interact with the image through the use of VR goggles and their smartphones. The program goes beyond in-class speeches. Students can immerse themselves in public speaking situations like negotiation training, job interviewing and more. They can also create their own images and simulations, and it’s still evolving. Now, Ehrl says that he’ll be able to position himself within his virtual classrooms to give instruction to his class. KU COMMUNITY SHINES DURING COVID-19 While facing the unexpected challenges of 2020, Golden Bears have banded together in new and innovative ways. The spring semester of 2020 took everyone at Kutztown University by surprise. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and subsequent stay-at-home orders in Pennsylvania, KU was forced to quickly shift all its classes online – within a week in many cases. Most students had moved out of their residence halls by the end of March, and milestones like graduation were celebrated virtually. For all the countless challenges that the KU community faced during this time, there are also countless stories of success and perseverance. Professors used online technology in unique ways to continue supporting their students. Academic offices and student service departments remained open, even as their staff members answered calls from their homes. The university even donated the use of four of its 3D printers to help meet the growing demand for face shields. The following stories highlight some of the members of the KU community who have gone above and beyond during COVID-19. The list is far from comprehensive, as more and more individuals step up to support their fellow Golden Bears and beyond. While the university continues to navigate the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, the community has learned that it is, indeed, Good to be Golden .