In every sector and nearly all community colleges across the state, plans are well underway to bring students safely back to campus this fall.
What will that instruction look like? What resources do faculty need from their colleges, their sectors, and the Chancellor’s Office? A survey conducted by the California Community Colleges Life Sciences/Biotech Initiative aims to answer those questions.
A total of 468 people from 101 colleges in all seven regions responded to the survey, including full-time faculty, part-time faculty, administrators, and staff. Of those responses, 108 came from the Engineering & Industrial Technologies program area, which includes Advanced Transportation & Logistics (ATL). The report was prepared for the Chancellor’s Office by Terri Quenzer, Statewide Director for Life Sciences/Biotech.
About 45% of respondents said their colleges plan to hold a mix of online and in-person classes this fall, with in-person instruction reserved for labs and other hands-on activities. Another 28% said they are planning to hold classes fully in person but split them into smaller sections to allow for appropriate distancing.
In addition to enforcing physical distancing in classrooms and labs, colleges are also planning to provide masks and hand sanitizer to students and take extra precautions to ensure that classrooms and labs are cleaned and disinfected between uses. Colleges are also planning to provide additional PPE like goggles, gloves, and face shields as needed depending on the activity being completed.
Distancing plans in the classroom will include assigned seating, removal of desks and chairs so students are at least six feet apart, smaller classes, and holding classes outside.
Colleges noted in the survey that they need to purchase new PPE after donating their original supplies to the medical community in the spring. There will also be additional costs associated with cleaning labs and classrooms, software and licensing necessary for remote instruction, and other expenses.
The survey also showed that many colleges are unsure about how to proceed this fall and are looking for more guidance and communication from the Chancellor’s Office. In some cases, responses of “I don’t know” to survey questions were as high as 72%. Colleges are also concerned about enrollment decreases and how a hybrid learning environment will disadvantage low-income students.
“Leadership and clear communication during these times (and always) is crucial for uniting campuses to effectively practice safe hands-on training that ultimately benefits our students and continues to build the workforce,” Quenzer wrote in the report.
Click here to read the full report.
