At the time, Schatz was undeterred and optimistic about the innovations that could arise from the sudden and unexpected shift to full remote learning. “Our current circumstances are forcing all of us to think more deeply about how we can operate as educators in an online environment,” Schatz said. “I fully expect that my Georgia Tech colleagues will come up with many novel approaches to enhance the learning experiences of our students.”

Fast forward to December 2020, and Michael Schatz has received a second formal honor for his work in the space of remote education, the 2021 Regents' Teaching Excellence for Online Teaching Award from the University System of Georgia.

Tristan Denley, USG Chief Academic Officer and Executive Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs, recently informed Schatz in a letter that he was the unanimous choice of the nominations review committee for the award. 

“The committee was impressed with your innovation in online classroom practices – group problem-solving sessions, interactive strategies, and animated lectures,” Denley wrote. “They were deeply impressed by your reach beyond the Georgia Tech classroom through service to local and state-wide communities at so many levels, from teacher training in Atlanta and Fulton County Schools, to your development of a physics MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that reached thousands and utilized lab activities that students could do with their smartphones.”

Schatz will be officially recognized at the annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala, tentatively scheduled for early September 2021.