Daniel Groll, associate professor of philosophy at Carleton College, has been creating videos of short jingles written to promote online courses he and his colleagues are teaching.

Groll, whose musical c.v. includes the rock group The Counterfactuals and the kids’ music duo Louis and Dan and the Invisible Band, goes minimalist on this new project, making most of the music using a stylophone:

Here’s the jingle for his medical ethics course:

Lyrics:

It’s Medical Ethics 222
It’s Medical Ethics Online
We can’t be together, we’re so far apart
But we’re making the best of a very tough time

Discussion and readings
Done via Zoom meetings
The class is all online

Yes it’s medical ethics 222
We’re making the best of a very tough time

And here’s one he did for Biology 126: Energy Flow in Biological Systems:

Lyrics:

How does energy flow
In biological systems, where does it go?
The point of this course is to let you know
Just how energy flows.

Carbon sequestration, cycles Calvin and Krebs
Digestion, food webs, membranes and nutrients
Stoichiometry, movement and atp
You’ll learn what this all means in intro to biology

Through the magic of Zoom it will all work out fine
Energy flow in biological systems…online

Now I know what you’re thinking: “How can I get one of these jingles for my course this fall?“.

Well, dear reader, you’re in luck, for you have a chance to win a jingle, made by Professor Groll in consultation with you, right here on this website. All you have to do is put a comment on this post with a key term or phrase from your course and a word or phrase that rhymes with it. Include your name and the name of your course, too. Submissions will close on Friday. We will pick a winner at random and announce it next week.