Heartland Community College has announced plans to bring some students back to campus in the fall and offer more online interaction with faculty.
Sarah Diel-Hunt, vice president of Enrollment and Student Services, said some higher demand courses will meet regularly through Zoom, the videoconferencing service, while most classes will remain online only.
“It’s still a virtual component that can be done anywhere, but it will all be done together at the same time,” said Diel-Hunt.
She said the decision to allow for video conference instruction came after feedback from students and faculty for courses that require more discussion or structure.
“You want that time to be alive and engaging, students interacting with each other, students interacting with their instructor, because that is the element a lot of students miss,” she said.
Students taking nursing, welding and other courses that require a lab setting will meet on campus with up 10 students in each section. She said Heartland is prepared to add sections for classes where demand is high.
Students who took those courses in the spring are resuming them over the summer, since Heartland closed its campus in March at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been working tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of our students without compromising the quality of our education,” said Heartland President Keith Cornille. “After much discussion, as a college we have decided limiting class sizes is necessary to safeguard the well-being of students and staff for the upcoming Fall 2020 semester.
"Even though our alternative delivery instruction methods are robust, they are not a solution for every class.”
Diel-Hunt said the college wanted to make the decision on fall classes now to give instructors more time to prepare for the Zoom format.
Heartland won’t relax any of the course guidelines for the fall semester even if Illinois advances in its reopening plan, but she said the school is prepared to revert back to all online learning if a COVID-19 relapse would cause the region to move back to Phase 1 or 2 of the Restore Illinois plan.
HCC's fall semester begins Aug. 17. Registration is underway. Students who signed up for an online class that’s been moved to in-person will need to re-register.
We’re living in unprecedented times when information changes by the minute. WGLT will continue to be here for you, keeping you up-to-date with the live, local and trusted news you need. Help ensure WGLT can continue with its in-depth and comprehensive COVID-19 coverage as the situation evolves by making a contribution.
