How does one make sure their students are paying attention in class? Well, why don't we just ask Lori MacNeil? The assistant professor just went viral for her hilarious attempt to capture her online class's full attention, and something tells us you'll want to have a look for yourself...
It all started when the Brock University teacher took to her webcam as she welcomed in her Fall Semester students... online. Sure, it's something that, for most of us, at least, hasn't been done before COVID-19, but that's exactly why MacNeil wanted to get it right. So, what'd she do?
From reenacting the magic show from Arrested Development’s Gob Bluth to hilarious cinematic spoofs, the Biological Sciences teacher has been kicking off each of her weekly BIOL 3P51 lessons, well, by making an entrance, to say the least. But why don't you have a look for yourself and tell us what you think?
For the past few weeks I've been making increasingly elaborate lecture intros to help drum up student excitement for new lecture content. I may have gotten a little carried away for the final week... #loveactually #BIOL3P51 #onlinelearning #brocku #edutwitter pic.twitter.com/0kjOLPnBn4
— Lori MacNeil (@LoriAMacNeil) December 2, 2020
Yep, are you as impressed as we are? Not only is the teacher's hilarious Love Actually parody getting us into the holiday spirit (Christmas is only 2 weeks away, in case you weren't already counting down), but we've actually never been more interested in, well, learning about science. Don't quote us on that one, though.
What you can quote us on, though, is the overwhelming response @LoriAMacNeil's latest video has garnered online. Then again, are we really that surprised? Well, she certainly is: “It’s just insane,” the assistant revealed of her latest lesson's reaction.
“I think it resonated with people doing online teaching right now and struggling to make that connection, especially now as the holidays are approaching," MacNeil continued. “It’s about trying to engage the students and get them excited.” Gold star for you, Lori. On that note, happy holidays folks!