Teaching in the time of coronavirus By ELIZABETH FONTAINE HILDEBRAND ’92
S
tudents in Trisha Cowen’s Film History class probably weren’t expecting a 3-year-old guest lecturer this spring, but then again, as with most everything we’ve seen so far in 2020, everyone has learned to expect the unexpected.
When Westminster professors and students settled into their spring semester in January, very little was known about the virus that had begun infecting people in December. It was happening a half a world away and classes carried on as usual. By March, as more information became available about the virus and the disease it caused— COVID-19—a growing concern was taking hold in the U.S. Yet when Westminster students departed for spring break on March 6, they never expected they might not return to campus. But that’s exactly what happened. Spring break was extended, and what began as a campus closure for a statemandated two weeks eventually turned into the remainder of semester. With Westminster’s campus shuttered, faculty, staff and students were abruptly forced to take on an incredible task: to teach, learn and carry on college business while sheltering from home.
W e s t m i n s t e r C o ll e g e M a g a z i n e 3
