Because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Kansas City Kansas Community College has made the decision to transition to fully virtual classes for the rest of the semester.
Also, according to college officials, the spring commencement ceremony for students was canceled today.
“We will be looking at other ways to celebrate with our students,” Dr. Greg Mosier, college president, told the KCKCC Board of Trustees today.
The college campus remains closed for the rest of the week, with spring break extended until Sunday, March 29. Classes are to resume on Monday, March 30, but they will be online.
Dr. Mosier told the board that the college had been trying to make adjustments to keep a portion of hands-on learning for students who have laboratory classes.
However, Monday’s announcements from governments limited the number of students and participants to 10, and the college realized it would not be able to meet the hands-on needs, he said.
“We will be able to educate them in a different manner,” he said. The college will be moving to virtual delivery of classes on March 30.
Starting on Monday, students will have one more week away from classes, allowing the faculty and staff to get ready for the online classes, Dr. Mosier told the trustees. He said some of the faculty and staff have experience in online teaching and will help train the faculty who have not previously taught online.
The college has a COVID-19 page on its website, https://www.kckcc.edu/communications/covid19/index.html, and is continuing to send out information to students, he said.
“It’s a very fluid environment, and changing on the hour,” he said.
KCKCC has been following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, as well as state and local health officials, according to a KCKCC letter dated March 17.
All of the KCKCC locations will be closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week, he said.
Many KCKCC employees already are working from home using virtual technology, he added.
Dual enrollment classes taught by KCKCC instructors at local high schools will be online only, according to the letter. GED and English as a Second Language classes at Wyandotte High School will be postponed until further notice, according to the letter.
Students will be able to use the college website’s virtual assistance program instead of coming to the campus for a personal meeting during this time, according to the letter.
“This health emergency will pass and KCKCC is committed to provide the best service to our students and community for many years to come,” Dr. Mosier wrote in the letter.
The KCKCC Board of Trustees meeting is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTf3a1vFVqg .