Michigan’s community colleges are beginning to announce their fall semester plans. WCC has not yet indicated how it plans to offer its fall classes. During the most recent Board Meeting on Tuesday, WCC’s CFO indicated that the FY2021 budget assumes that WCC faculty will find an acceptable way to deliver at least some courses in person. Despite this, WCC has not yet announced its fall semester plans.
Lansing Community College has already announced that it will offer a limited number of in-person classes. GRC’s fall semester plans include at least some in-person courses. A campus taskforce is working to figure out how to best incorporate social distancing in the classroom; cleaning schedules and processes; and other tactics that can potentially slow the spread of COVID-19.
Macomb Community College’s fall semester classes will begin with online delivery. Classes there begin on August 17. Macomb has committed to delivering classes online until at least after Labor Day. Its fall semester plans include delivering courses in one of three formats: online, web-enhanced (in-person) or hybrid.
Mid-Michigan College plans to offer in-person classes on campus starting in June. The college, with campuses in Harrison and Mt. Pleasant, intends to bring students back to campus in a controlled fashion. MMC has already announced that it will require students to wear masks and maintain social distance while on campus. Additionally, MMC will reconfigure its classrooms to improve distance between students. It will also offer a mixture of class delivery options, including all online, hybrid and in-person to reduce student presence on campus. Unlike many community colleges, MMC does not charge a higher fee for online coursework.
Regardless of its fall semester plans, WCC should announce them as soon as possible, to allow students sufficient planning time.
Photo Credit: Mizzou CAFNR , via Flickr
