Kellogg Community College announced today it will convert most of its face-to-face coursework to an online-only format for the remainder of the fall semester, which ends Dec. 18, as a way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 while case numbers and positive infection rates increase in the area.
Although campus buildings will remain open for students and employees in Albion, Battle Creek, Coldwater and Hastings, the vast majority of classes will now be delivered fully online as a way to reduce the number of people who are interacting with others on a KCC campus at any given time. KCC had begun the fall semester with a majority of its classes online from the start.
Classes with face-to-face components that can’t be delivered online will continue those instructional activities face-to-face with other mitigation measures still in place. Such classes include those in Industrial Trades, Health Sciences and Criminal Justice, allowing students in those classes to continue their coursework uninterrupted.
After unprecedented campus closures from mid-March through June, KCC began its fall semester on Aug. 31 with a mix of online, face-to-face and hybrid courses while implementing strict measures regarding facial coverings, in-person meetings, social distancing, self-screening resources, facility cleaning and response protocols. KCC’s Campus Reopening Plan, which remains in effect, is available at Kellogg.edu/coronavirus.
“We started our semester with most classes online and have informed our students and faculty that there may come a point when we need to move to an online-primary model,” said Dr. Paul Watson, Vice President for Instruction. “Fortunately, we have prepared for this modality change and we expect our Bruins will be able to make the transition quickly and relatively painlessly.”
Instructors will directly inform their class rosters of class-specific changes beginning tomorrow, Oct. 6. Students who have questions about the status of any given class should first contact their instructor.
The College is taking the additional step this week as case counts have risen across Barry, Branch and Calhoun counties and as the presence of confirmed cases on KCC campuses has also risen.
As of Sept. 29, there had been a total of five students and employees who were present on a KCC campus while positive and another 13 who were self-reported or confirmed positive but not on a KCC campus. As of Oct. 1, the seven-day positive test rates had risen to 6.1% in Calhoun County, 4.2% in Branch County and 3.2% in Barry County, according to State of Michigan data at mistartmap.info.
Access at all five KCC campuses remains available for students who need in-person or remote assistance from Academic Advising, Admissions, the Bruin Bookstore, Career and Employment Services, Counseling, Disability Services, Financial Aid, Morris Library, Placement Testing, Registrar’s Office or Tutoring. Appointments can be scheduled with those departments via the KCC Virtual Services web page at Kellogg.edu/virtualservices.
KCC’s Lifelong Learning classes, which are mostly one-time sessions in small-group settings with facial covering and social distancing measures in place, will continue as scheduled.
“We look forward to our students returning to the wonderful facilities at KCC and making those in-person connections,” Dr. Watson said. “In the meantime, we will continue doing our part to ensure our campuses are as safe as we can make them while continuing to provide an excellent college education to all of our Bruins.”
For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.