Oberlin Responds to COVID-19 in the space of less than a fortnight, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Oberlin College transformed itself from a bustling residential campus to a decentralized, virtual campus spread across the globe but centered mostly in people’s homes. Along the way, faculty, staff, and students had to navigate a new learning landscape and even a new vocabulary, ranging from asynchronous classes to breakout rooms to Zoom video meetings. While teaching and learning remained the immediate emphasis, everything else the college does to support its core mission—advancement, communications, student support, career development, and, of course, student recruitment—also required new ways of thinking and doing. Following an exit for spring recess that occurred more than a week earlier than planned, students began classes online immediately after break. The creativity at the heart of Oberlin’s liberal arts approach allowed for a wide variety of instruction and evaluation modes, and the care and compassion of faculty and staff helped to soften the disruption of the transition for many (see this issue’s cover story for messages faculty members delivered to students, along with a timeline of events). In a cover letter accompanying the results of a student survey conducted by Student Senate, senator Cait Kelley writes that it is “truly impressive how ‘nimble’ (a word often mentioned both seriously and in jest in the faculty committee meetings I attend) Oberlin has been during this crisis. I’m sure, never in the history of Oberlin, have faculty and staff learned how to use new forms of technology and programs this quickly!” New, second-module courses were added that directly addressed the COVID-19 pandemic, and many existing courses shifted to include the pandemic in their study. The college also created a groundbreaking initiative that brought Oberlin-level learning— and credits—directly to high school seniors accepted into the Class of 2024. OBERLIN ALUMNI MAGAZINE 2020 / SPRING/SUMMER
THE COVID-19 CURRICULUM
More than a dozen courses helped students examine the broad social impact and the personal ramifications of COVID-19. Many of these courses encouraged students to express the disorientation and strangeness of their own lived experience. “The pandemic touches every aspect of our lives, and our faculty are responding to the challenge by offering a remarkable range of courses on COVID-19 and pandemics generally,” said David Kamitsuka, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, when the new offerings were launched. “From art to chemistry to politics, faculty are applying their disciplinary training to help our students understand and appreciate the impact and significance of the pandemic.” But Oberlin’s faculty went beyond simply reframing their courses for online delivery, says Laura Baudot, associate dean of the College of the Arts & Sciences. “The faculty are drawing from their disciplinary training to shed light on this complex global phenomenon. In many cases, faculty are adding these modules to an already full-time teaching load.” Professor of Psychology Cindy Frantz explored humans’ psychological need for belonging and connection, the importance of social contact, and the consequences of isolation in her class, Staying Connected in an Age of Isolation. “I actually feel called to teach this course,” Frantz says. “This is a fascinating, teachable moment to watch happen in real time and to explore systematically through the lens of psychological science.” Professor of Mathematics Jeff Witmer approached the topics of infectious diseases, transmission, and herd immunity in his statistics course, Intro to Epidemiology: Getting to Know the Effects of a Coronavirus. “The course draws upon my knowledge of statistics, which is one part of epidemiology, but there is a lot I didn’t know three weeks ago that I’ve since taught myself,” he says. 5