­­GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College is announcing a hybrid approach to instruction for Fall 2020, which will utilize a mix of hands-on and virtual learning opportunities for students.

“Our focus this fall will be on continuing to deliver quality education to our students, while keeping our campus communities as safe as possible,” said Interim President Lori Artis.

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Phase IV of the Restore Illinois reopening plan allows for the college to resume on-campus services. Since entering Phase IV on June 26, the college has begun to do just that. Students who were unable to complete their hands-on training requirements during the spring stay-at-home order have returned to finish.

Beginning July 6, essential on-campus services began to reopen, with staff rotating back to campus to limit the number of people present at any given time. Anyone interested in utilizing in-person services should check the college’s website for hours and availability, which vary by department.

Summer courses were offered completely online this year.

In the fall, many courses will still be taught in a virtual environment to limit traffic on campus, but administrators are hopeful that students who need to come to campus for labs and hands-on training will be able to do so.

Fall courses will be offered through five different modes of instruction:

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  • Virtual Class Meetings (VCM) – Classes meet during regularly scheduled class times through a virtual meeting platform such as Collaborate or Zoom.
  • Virtual Blended Classes (VBC) – Classes meet during regularly scheduled class times through a virtual meeting platform such as Collaborate or Zoom and meet on an L&C campus to complete any mandatory course work that cannot be completed virtually (i.e. labs/studio/clinicals/field experience or work).
  • Traditional, Face-to-Face (TF) – Classes meet on the Godfrey Campus and/or other campus locations.
  • Online (WW) – Classes are fully online with no on-campus or virtual class meetings. Some online courses may require in-person proctored tests.
  • Web Blended (WB) – Classes where most of the work is completed online with some on-campus requirements. Classes meet on the Godfrey Campus and/or other campus locations.

Using those acronyms, students will be able to recognize course modes in Student Planner when they go to enroll or plan their schedule. Advisors are currently available by appointment to help by calling (618) 468-2222 or emailing enroll@lc.edu.

“We recognize the importance of flexibility, especially in these uncertain times,” said Interim Chief Academic Officer Jill Lane. “Since going virtual in March, our faculty have analyzed what worked and what didn’t and have had some time to optimize our virtual offerings for the coming semester. That, and the ability to bring students back onto campus for labs and hands-on training, have us very much looking forward to fall.”

Students, faculty and staff who return to campus this summer and fall must abide by Illinois Department of Public Health requirements, which include wearing a mask or cloth face covering while on campus, keeping at least 6 feet of social distance between themselves and others, not gathering in groups, washing and sanitizing their hands thoroughly and frequently, and staying home if sick or exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Individuals will be required to sign a waiver agreeing to these stipulations.

“Respect and responsibility will be key in keeping our students and team members safe,” Artis said. “We also know if COVID-19 cases spike, Illinois could revert to a previous phase and send the entire campus back into an all-virtual environment. We’re prepared if that is the case.”

If the need to revert back to an all-virtual environment arises, the college will enact its Academic Continuity Plan. Traditional courses, in that case, would revert to a Virtual Class Meetings format, and on-campus meetings for Web Blended classes would be held virtually.

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