This manuscript reviews This manuscript reviews the peculiarities of emergency remote teaching (ERT) –in the context of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic – compared to in-person and traditional online teaching. A literature review precedes an empirical case-study performed by the lead author during his experiences with ERT. The aim was to create a classroom focused on student engagement while maintaining instructor confidence during the lecture in the online environment by assigning a “Student-Ally”: a student enrolled in the course who liaised between the instructor and the other students in the class. This model resulted in a more confident and relieved instructor. With minor modifications this model could be used as a template in other remote teaching settings to create an improved student experience.