In this article, we compare the peculiarities of emergency remote teaching (ERT) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic with 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 of the study 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--that is, 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 instructor. With minor modifications, this model could be used as a template in other remote-teaching settings to create an improved student experience.