Muskegon Community College will offer a robust combination of in-person and online instruction when the Fall semester classes begin on Monday, Aug. 24.
“We know that our entire campus community is eager to launch the 2020 Fall Semester, and we also know that the COVID-19 pandemic continues,” said MCC President Dale K. Nesbary.
“Accordingly, we will hold a mix of online and face-to-face classes taking measures to keep our community safe through social distancing, the use of personal protection equipment, frequent and comprehensive cleaning of the buildings and rooms, revised signage and utilization of the most recent data on COVID-19.”
Nesbary praised MCC faculty and staff members who, since the pandemic began, accelerated their capabilities to deliver and support remote instruction to a larger population of MCC students. The percentage of Fall Semester online/hybrid classes is expected to increase from roughly 20 percent in 2019 to well over half by Fall 2020, and more are being added as faculty convert face-to-face classes to online. Moreover, the MCC Board, administration and faculty will continue to monitor the status of the COVID-19 pandemic and move aggressively online if health and safety needs dictate.
The College will offer a range of options from traditional in-person classes, hybrid classes with face-to-face (which may be in person or virtual) and online instruction, and online in either an asynchronous format or a synchronous format, the difference being the way that faculty and students interact.
“The College is striving to provide flexibility for students while continuing to provide excellent learning opportunities in a safe environment,” added Nesbary.
MCC has tracked online course delivery to the year 2002. Nesbary was one of the first professors teaching online courses at Oakland University and published multiple books on online survey research and online teaching as early as 2000.
In March, when MCC halted in-person operations in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s stay-at-home executive orders, MCC converted all instruction to online to finish the Winter semester. Soon after Summer classes began in May, Gov. Whitmer revised restrictions allowing some face-to-face classes for MCC students in nursing, respiratory therapy, medical assistant and technology areas of study.
“As a campus, we have been focusing all of our energies and talents on maintaining the high-quality instruction and rewarding student experience that are synonymous with Muskegon Community College,” added Nesbary. “As we tell our students, ‘Your lives may have changed but not your goals.’ We are here to help you achieve your dreams.”
For more information about course delivery types for the fall semester, go to https://www.muskegoncc.edu/registration/