Instructional and Academic

Classes are scheduled to begin January 27 with an occupancy between 70% of in-person instruction for Spring 2022.

The Provost and the Deans have worked with department chairs and faculty to determine which faculty would provide online instruction and which courses were prioritized for in-person instruction. Because students are expected to be vaccinated in the Spring 2022 semester (except for those granted medical or religious exemptions), physical distancing will not be a required safety measure for classroom and educational settings.

All instructional modes are listed in the schedule of classes; click here for details.
Instructional Modes
  • In-person Class - all class meetings occur on campus during scheduled class meeting times; however, due to COVID safety protocols. The College will limit the number of students physically allowed into the classroom; thus, all in-person classes will be live-streamed in real-time (when the class meets) for students not attending the class in-person to ensure social distancing.
  • Hybrid class - online contact hours (synchronous* or asynchronous**) displaces some portion of the required contact hours that would typically take place in a scheduled in-person (face-to-face) class. All In-person and synchronous online class meeting days/times must be listed in the schedule of courses for students.
  • Asynchronous class - meetings do not require you to log in to your virtual classroom at a specified time. Thus, students do not have to follow a strict schedule to engage in live classes or discussions, and the only requirement regarding when they turn in their work is the assignment deadline, not an arbitrary timeline.           
  • Online class (synchronous* or asynchronous**) - all required contact hours are online. Contact includes instruction, learning activities, and interactions (student-student and/or student-instructor).  All the classwork, examinations, quizzes, writing assignments, lab work, etc., are fully online.   All Synchronous class meeting days/times must be listed in the schedule of classes for students.
In a COVID outbreak, we will quickly transition to fully online instruction to eliminate the need for faculty and students to come on campus.
Space Constraints – Construction Considerations

For spring 2022, the College will have a net loss of space at the Carroll Street building arising from 20 portable classrooms going offline to prepare for the demolition of the trailers and construction of a new building. This project is scheduled to be completed by 2026. Currently, we are having challenges identifying swing space.
  • Construction in the Bedford Building started in October, including renovating bathrooms and better air quality.
While these projects will be great for the College in the long term, they will affect us in the short term because swing space is challenging. These projects will make it difficult for MEC to maintain 70% in-person classes for spring 2022.
Technology

The College has implemented technology to enable hybrid instruction utilizing electronic and collaboration tools, such as Blackboard Collaborate, Zoom, and Echo360. We have 30 smart classrooms and 40 classrooms with technology to accommodate hybrid classes. Additionally, the work continues to upgrade 42 classrooms with new HyFlex technology. The HyFlex classrooms will be outfitted with the appropriate equipment to support simultaneous in-person and virtual live sessions, a system for lecture and discussion capture, and learning platforms for both synchronous and asynchronous activities. The added technology in the classrooms will make the remote experience inclusive, participatory, and as near to the on-premises learning experience as possible.
Laboratory Work Specific protocols have been developed for faculty, staff, and students researching in the College's laboratory environments. Click here for more information.
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