Student Union
Trapped in Elevator, Professor Teaches Class Online
When Jay Van Bavel, a social neuroscience professor at New York University, stepped into his apartment building elevator 10 minutes before his Introduction to Psychology class online, he "breathed a sigh of relief," thinking he would start his lecture on time.
That is, until the elevator lurched downward before halting to a stop between floors.
"Ok, no need to panic. The door won't open and the elevator won't move. But I use the call button to contact the staff from the elevator. They promise to call a repairman from the elevator company to help us escape," Van Bavel tweeted about the experience.
Van Bavel, trapped in the elevator with his increasingly anxious 8-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son, began frantically texting his contacts. Still thinking about his students and despite having a bad internet connection, Van Bavel was able to send out an email at 3:28 p.m., a mere two minutes before the start of his class.
"By this point, a certain level of camaraderie had developed. ... We had a dawning recognition that we were all in this together and would pull through," Van Bavel tweeted. "I reminisced about the time I was stuck in the elevator with [son] Jack 5 years ago and we laughed about those old times!"
Yet, the sense of peace didn't last long as Van Bavel worried about his students, who had a midterm scheduled for the following week. He turned to alternate solutions, trying to access his class through his phone. After a couple of failed attempts, he was able to dial into his Zoom lecture of more than 200 students.
To their surprise, Van Bavel would be teaching the class from inside the elevator.
"I could hear one student yelling to her roommate that her professor was trapped in an elevator. Others seemed excited to give this a try," Van Bavel tweeted. "Apparently they'd never been taught from a professor stuck in an elevator before. It would give the class a fresh new twist."
Just when Van Bavel thought he was good to go, he realized his lecture slides were on his computer in his apartment. Concerned about whether he would remember his class notes, Van Bavel set his class in motion.
"After about 50-excruciatingly-long-minutes in the elevator, it jolted and then started to move," Van Bavel tweeted. "The doors opened. We could see our beautiful nondescript lobby and the sun beaming in from the front doors. We cautiously stepped out into freedom."
Van Bavel dashed upstairs and finished teaching his students from the safety of his kitchen table.
"As I type it all out, I am now deeply aware of how absurd this was. I will not be teaching in elevators in the future," Van Bavel tweeted.
WATCH: Van Bavel's earlier COVID study
VOA Student Union interviewed Van Bavel earlier this year about his worldwide crowd-sourcing study that asks social scientists to contribute how wearing masks, washing hands, going to crowded public events, and conspiracy theories can attribute to the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
See all News Updates of the Day
San Diego school requires course in climate change
If you want an undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego, you’re going to have to take a course in climate change.
The requirement, which affects students who will graduate in 2028, is meant to prepare students for the future, according to a report by ABC News. (October 2024)
‘Study away’ programs in the US can provide enrichment opportunities
While studying abroad can expose students to new cultures and experiences, researchers are finding that domestic ‘study away’ programs can be helpful as well.
Some students, including those on an international visa, may not be able to study abroad, but they can travel to other locations in the U.S. for enrichment experiences, Ashley Mowreader writes in Inside Higher Ed. (October 2024)
Fewer students disclose race in applications to top colleges
FAfter the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions last year, fewer students are disclosing their race or ethnicity in applications to top colleges.
Writing in USA Today, Zachary Schermele notes that the data is preliminary, but it could signal a change in the way students are approaching college applications. (October 2024)
Overall college enrollment is up, first-year enrollment down
For the second year since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, college enrollment has climbed in the United States.
But the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center noticed a substantial drop in the number of freshmen, which could be troubling for future enrollment, according to a report in Forbes. (October 2024)
South African universities embrace AI, seeing it as equalizing tool
The rise of AI tools like ChatGPT has sparked debate in higher education, raising questions about ethics and integrity in teaching, learning and knowledge creation. In South Africa, some academic institutions are taking a proactive approach, integrating AI into their curricula. Experts say this step is not only innovative but also helps level the playing field among students. Zaheer Cassim reports from Johannesburg.
