Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) continues to monitor the evolving novel coronavirus (Covid-19) situation in mainland China and around the world. SUSTech has prioritized the well-being of everyone at SUSTech while minimizing disruption to our students’ education. With that in mind, the first series of online classes launched this week.

Basic courses in general science and technology have been uploaded into the Blackboard teaching platform. These audio-visual lessons allow our students to go back through the content to ensure maximum understanding. Other courses have opted for live-streamed classes that incorporate an immersive environment for both educators and students.

The Blackboard teaching platform has all the teaching materials, assessments, and course materials needed for students. Students can upload assignments to the platform, and each class has a discussion board for group work. Practical work shall be taught through video and virtual simulation, with a goal of expedited training once students return to campus at the end of the Covid-19 situation.

Department of Physics Professor Li Miao said that he had to rethink how he approached his physics course resulting from the reduced student interaction. “I had to remake my presentations to explain the formulas better. When I teach classes online, I write the formulas by hand and include illustrations of myself, to provide more vivid classes for the Class of 2023.”

Social Sciences Center Assistant Professor Yuan Changgeng highlighted the unique challenges of preparing online classes compared to his daily preparation. “Teaching online has created a new set of challenges for all the scholars at SUSTech. Students have substantially more distractions, so teachers have to concentrate heavily on the organization of their content.” He noted that there are several advantages of online teaching, including increased physical space and a more relaxed relationship between students and educators.

SUSTech remains focused on the health and well-being of its entire community as it works hand in glove with the rest of the world in the battle against Covid-19. SUSTech has been following and will continue to support the expert advice of national, provincial, and municipal health departments as they relate to Covid-19.