ANSWERING
THE CALLS
Technology takes COVID-19 crisis in stride for effective learning
T
he challenge seemed insurmountable. There was a rising number of those infected in the United States and COVID-19 was quickly closing in on Harrison County. In response, ETBU hustled to follow all guidelines propagated from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) while also continuing with the Christian academic mission of the University. No one at East Texas Baptist wanted to leave a student's quality education to chance. The challenge enveloped the campus, but nowhere was this more apparent than in the Institutional Technology (IT) and Online Education. In a single week, the two departments were responsible for assisting to bring the entirety of campus learning completely online. “We are thankful we have the necessary technology infrastructure already in place. Items like VPN, Campus Connect, and Canvas allow our faculty, students, and staff to continue with their courses and work with minimal interruption,” Director of Institutional Technology Barry Hale shared. “We added another video conferencing tool (Zoom) into our infrastructure as an additional method for our faculty and students to meet face to face, and also to allow our employees to have video meetings.” Aside from answering questions and working at an increased pace, the IT Department’s day-to-day operations remained largely the same even during quarantine. "It was so fast,” Administrative Assistant Danna Robins explained. “The transition to working from home happened so quickly. I had my whole dining room set up as an office because I was on call all day." ETBU Alumnus Glenn Scott was instrumental in keeping the systems functioning and assisting with questions. "Whatever the cause, we may not always be able to
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Hilltop
Summer 2020
meet in person, so being prepared or ready to do more of an online scenario honestly gave us a better sense of how the learning environment can happen remotely,” Scott said. “The student outcome remained positive through the virtual learning modality. It's another way to communicate with students and continue our mission. I think overall that was a good thing." Tom Bryant approached the concept of remote learning with a unique perspective in that he was both the System Administrator as well as a student. "As an employee and student, I took most of my classes online prior to COVID, so I already know how difficult online classes can be if you’re not an organized person with time management skills. Having been through this I can imagine how difficult it can be for some, but the younger generation is great at adapting and overcoming. Our faculty and staff were all so willing to just go with it and jump right in.” Through all of the rapid adjustments and adaptations, their faith kept them going. “When people are faced with adversity, change, hardships or uncertainty it can often lead them to places of anxiety, discouragement, frustration and even despair,” Hale shared. “As my team and I began helping our students and employees make the transition to off-site learning and work, we prayed often for peace, encouragement, understanding, and definitely patience for them and for us! But it’s in the difficult circumstances of life that if we’ll run to God, we can come to know Him in a deeper, more meaningful way than we ever have before.” The IT Department ensured quality online education and effective remote work in the midst of the global pandemic, and will continue to serve as the University enters the fall semester.
