Majority of classes to be ‘Flex’; housing available at reduced capacity
Colorado Mountain College today launches the CMC Fall 2020 Trail Map, which spells out how the college will offer courses during Fall Semester 2020.
“Maintaining the health and safety of our students, employees and local communities is central to our planning for this fall semester,” said CMC President and CEO Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser. “Our flexible plan also permits us to continue complying with evolving state and local public health orders.
“Our goal is to provide a blended and high-quality set of options that leverage CMC’s long-standing signature and experiential programs, small class sizes, innovative approaches and personalized learning, along with its nearly two decades of expertise in distance education,” she said.
The three ways courses will be offered are: Flex, In-Person and Online Anytime:
- Flex: These courses will have a designated class schedule. The designated schedule will have virtual meetings conducted using videoconferencing technology like Webex or Zoom. Students must have access to technology to attend the course and attend the Webex or Zoom sessions. Some of these courses may have optional face-to-face components such as small group discussions, group projects or similar.
- In-Person: These courses – or portions of these courses – cannot be delivered remotely, and will be offered face-to-face at a designated time and location, adhering to enhanced social distancing and safety guidelines. These courses may have parts of the course online, or using videoconferencing technology like Webex or Zoom, but will require a student to be physically present for all or portions of the course.
- Online Anytime: These courses will not require in-person attendance and will not have a designated schedule or videoconferencing time. Students must complete the course and homework in the time frame outlined in the syllabus.
For all categories of courses, additional and intentional efforts to support students will come in the form of on-campus technology access, tutoring, advising and regular communications.
Registration for the fall semester is underway; fall semester starts Aug. 24.
Limited residence halls available
Also this fall, CMC intends to open, with reduced capacity, its residence halls at its Steamboat Springs, Spring Valley and Leadville campuses. The halls will contain more single rooms and a limited number of double rooms. For the 2020-21 academic year, the college will also waive the requirement that new students live on campus.
In Breckenridge, CMC’s college-owned apartments will continue to operate as self-contained units available to eligible students.
Taking care of community
“As always, our focus is on providing the high-quality, personalized, affordable education our communities have come to expect – while also doing everything we can to maintain a safe learning environment,” said Hauser.
As the college has been doing since the onset of COVID-19 in the state, college leaders will continue to monitor conditions in Colorado and in CMC communities. The vice president and dean of each campus remains in close collaboration and coordination with local public health officials and other community health partners. College leadership is also in regular contact with departments at the state level, so that administrators can make the best decisions regarding measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
“If conditions change locally or at the state level, we will be ready to act,” said Hauser. “We believe this format for offering classes, as well as our reduced population in the residence halls, will allow us to adapt quickly as needed.”
The college continues to closely follow guidance from the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state health department on maintaining cleanliness. “While no environment can be free from contamination, we have heightened sanitation in all facilities,” said Hauser.
As the start of the fall semester approaches, the college will share information about specific local and campus requirements for social distancing, face coverings or masks, and other considerations. In the meantime, current and prospective students are asked to familiarize themselves with the latest information from the CDC.
For more information on fall classes and registration, please visit CMC’s class schedule descriptions. For more information on housing, go to CMC’s Residence Life.