Ann Townsend is a professor, a poet and a plantsman (she hybridizes daylilies in her spare time). At Denison, Townsend is both an English professor and an alum. She brings a long view of the University to the current challenges of COVID-19: remote learning, situations at home, such as shared computers that can interfere with class time, and missing the nuances of body language.
With regards to remote learning, Townsend has been pleasantly surprised with how well students and systems worked to achieve knowledge and skills. She says it is a pleasure to try different things and see how they work.
Townsend employs a number of strategies: She uses doodle polls to inform her of barriers to accessibility, a shared What’s App channel for each class, and texting to keep in immediate contact if needed. She also has initiated something she calls “Night Class,” basically calling groups together into a common virtual space in the evening to simulate a shared study environment.
