Fresno State’s returning professors share thoughts on in-person learning

Fresno State is welcoming back students, faculty, and staff and more than a year away because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With 65 percent of classes returning to in-person, professors say they are just as eager as students are to be back in the classroom.

“They learn from each other in that community sense as they learn from me,” said William Raines, a professor in the Department of Art and Design.

Professors in the Music Department are relieved to be back, too. During the COVID lockdown, it was a struggle to translate the sound of an instrument to students through a webcam.

“To do it really well, I would have to have and I do have all the gear behind me–an audio interphase with professional microphones set up so I can record so you can hear things,” said Professor Stephan Ivany, who teaches trombone and euphonium in the Music Department.

“Didn’t ever get to meet my students in person,” Ivany said. “Never got to meet my colleagues in person. I only ever met them through a Zoom screen, and really it sucked the joy out of playing.”

Now with classes returning to in-person, Ivany can teach the best way he knows how.

“They all stuck it out,” Ivany said, referring to his students. “They all came back. They all got better. They all worked really hard in the end, and so it was by far the hardest thing I had to do.”