Venture into the educational unknown as virus spreads

Then came the Iowa caucuses in the United States on Feb 3. As odd as it sounds, the massive technology failure in the vote counting in Iowa played a key role in our Chinese academic planning. The Iowa Democratic Party didn't properly beta test its new app, and the result was disaster.

I realized it was vitally important to carefully test platforms in advance so we could provide a positive experience for the students. We tried a few and concluded that a conference app called "Zoom" was our best prospect. We beta tested the app repeatedly: once with just four of us, then a practice class with a group of Global Business Journalism student volunteers.

To improve the look of my lecture, I created a China-themed background for my classes in my basement studio featuring two life-sized terracotta warriors from Xi'an and traditional Chinese scroll art. I learned the importance of an attractive backdrop from my father, an award-winning set designer for Broadway and opera.

"Opening Night" on Feb 17 was an educational triumph. Students could see me, hear me, view my PowerPoint presentations, and see news articles that I had called up on my computer screen for analysis. All of the other Global Business Journalism program's classes proceeded without incident, and the student reaction was overwhelmingly favorable.

"Even though the virus has resulted in the [journalism] school having to use a virtual classroom, it's still brought so many good stories to the front page," said Hai Lin Wang, a GBJ master's student from Canada who has been staying with her grandparents in Tianjin. "I hope we can all take advantage of this time."

I'm taking this one week at a time. There are occasional glitches — the risks of "live television" — and we could have a technological meltdown any week. But I have discovered many advantages of our innovative learning experience. For one thing, I can now ask prominent journalists, academics or policymakers in Washington, Europe or Africa to join our class in real time.

One month into our venture into the educational unknown, I believe my lectures are more visually appealing, more interactive and more focused. The students are even more engaged in our virtual classroom than in the "real" classroom, thanks to the live-chat feature of the Zoom classroom, plus our concurrent WeChat group conversation. Students can pose questions and make comments in real time, compounding the advantages of the online learning experience.

In good times and in these challenging times, Tsinghua University has inspired me to become a better person and a better teacher. As a professor who loves teaching the brightest aspiring journalists from around the world, I owe it to my students to give them an educational experience that they will always remember ... in a good way.

The world gave us lemons, and we are trying to make something sweet out of it. As one of my Texas friends said to me: "Lemonade, Rick. Lemonade."

The author of the article is Rick Dunham, co-director of Global Business Journalism program at Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication.