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Assistant Management Professor, Dr. Dennis Marquardt, reminds his students to not stress out during COVID-induced online courses. (Photo courtesy of Dennis Marquardt)

Professor produces viral music video to motivate students

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Assistant Professor in Management, Dr. Dennis Marquardt, produced a music video titled “We’re Going Online!” and posted it to YouTube on March 12.

The video features Marquardt rapping along to an unlisted track with lyrics that can be summarized by the line, “Yeah, Corona’s bringing some heat, but we’re not gonna retreat ‘cuz your learning’s gonna be fine as we take this course online.”

Regarding his inspiration to make the video, Marquardt said, “I was on campus after I heard the official news and thought my students might need some assurance that everything was going to be okay. We’ll get through this together.”

Marquardt said he felt vulnerable running through ideas and thinking up different lyrics and beats for the track, but was willing to feel ridiculous if it brought joy to those who watched it.

“If someone is able to laugh during the news we were all hearing because of this, then it’s all worth it,” Marquardt said.

Following this, he said he has been receiving the positive feedback from his students.

“Students have really been positive and encouraging about it,” Marquardt said. “I think many of them think I do this rap thing all the time, but it actually doesn’t come that natural.”

The video, which has amassed over 11,000 views, has also garnered response from students outside of his class. Shea Thompson, sophomore early childhood/elementary education major from Longview, said after watching the video she was truly left speechless.

“It truly shows the spirit of ACU and its staff of how much they care about the students,” Thompson said. “No one asked him to make this and he knows it’s making people smile in this time of uncertainty. Truly makes me miss going to class, which I never thought I would say.”

Since the video, Marquardt, along with every other professor, has had to navigate teaching their classes online for the remainder of the semester.

“It’s definitely different for me,” Marquardt said. “I absolutely love teaching face to face and fostering genuine connections with students.  It’s been a little harder to do that online and it takes a lot of effort to communicate passion and enthusiasm concerning the content we’re learning.”
However, Marquardt said this change has allowed him to see growth in his students that he hasn’t seen prior to ACU’s move to online classes.
“That said, it’s also exciting to get to challenge students in new ways and I’ve noticed some students that never talked face to face are far more willing to communicate with the class over Zoom,” Marquardt said. “That’s been special, to see some students come alive because of the new medium.”
Although this change was abrupt, Marquardt said that as a management professor, this allows him to use experience to care for those around him and to motivate his students.
“Managers can create cycles of virtue that benefit employees who then go home and transmit that positivity to their families who then transmit it to their schools, churches and cities,” Marquardt said. “In this time of crisis, the effects of managerial care increase tenfold. I really try to communicate that possibility and vision to my students. “
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