Different approaches to reopening

By AACC 21st Century Center Staff

As the spring semester winds down, community colleges are looking ahead to the summer and fall semesters.

Many colleges will continue remote learning through the summer semester, but some are taking steps to reopen, at least for career and technical education (CTE) courses, which often require hands-on instruction. Meanwhile, some colleges have already announced that they’ll remain online through the fall semester.

Steps to reopening

Everett Community College in Washington received state approval to resume a small number of classes on campus, including emergency medical services, firefighter academy and nursing. But keeping students and staff healthy is still the priority. When students arrive on campus, they’ll undergo a health screening, which includes answering health check questions and having their temperature taken upon entering the building,

North Carolina’s Carteret Community College will begin a gradual reopening for faculty and staff. In addition, next week, health science and transportation curriculum programs will start making up labs.

Missouri’s Ozarks Technical Community College President Hal Higdon said in a statement, “It is our intent to reopen this fall under normal operations, including all in-person lectures and labs.”

Before that, beginning June 1, students will be able to schedule appointments for in-person support services.

Staying remote

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, Holyoke Community College (HCC) will continue distance education for the fall semester, with a few exceptions.

Cape Cod Community College also announced it will continue with online and remote teaching for the summer and fall semesters. Like HCC, there will be a few exceptions. Some CTE courses will become hybrid classes, so students will have minimal time on campus.

Hybrid options

Beginning on Aug. 17, classes at Kentucky’s community and technical colleges will be offered online, face-to-face and some will be a hybrid. Face-to-face classes will include an online or remote learning element to make it easier to move fully online if needed, according to a statement from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.

For the summer semester, depending on state guidelines, some classes may be offered on campus beginning in July.

Northwest Arkansas Community College plans to bring employees back this summer in phases and allow students on campus in the fall. For the fall semester, NWACC plans to offer students the option to choose from classes that include in-person instruction, a hybrid of in-person and online instruction, as well as online-only instruction, according to this article.

Learn more about how some colleges plan to reopen for the fall in this CC Daily article.

AACC 21st Century Center Staff

is a contributor to the 21st-Century Center.