KCTCS will return to in-person classes with ‘strong online’ components for fall 2020
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System has announced a plan for its return to in-person classes in the fall with a variety of formats and schedules for its students.
The campuses will offer in-person, online and hybrid classes in the fall at its 16 colleges, according to an announcement. The classes will begin Aug. 17. The face-to-face classes “will have a strong online or remote instruction part,” intended to make it easier for students if classes have to go online only, according to the announcement.
There will also be more flexibility in scheduling, as KCTCS will offer 16-week, 12-week and 8-week scheduling options.
KCTCS has more than 100,000 students statewide, according to spokeswoman Mary Hemlepp. Hemlepp said that there has been a decrease in enrollment compared to the system’s numbers at this time last year. But there’s been a slight enrollment increase in the past couple weeks.
“We’re hopeful that by announcing our plans for fall that we will begin to see a larger increase in the coming weeks,” Hemlepp said in an email.
KCTCS’ summer classes will be primarily online-only, according to the announcement. There will be a few hands-on classes scheduled tentatively for July at some colleges. Those hands-on class schedules are based on Gov. Andy Beshear’s timeline for reopening facilities in Kentucky.
The University of Kentucky, University of Louisville and Eastern Kentucky University have also announced they’ll be open in the fall. Each school has said it is exploring options for how to deliver classes and make an easy transition back to online classes if necessary.
“COVID-19 has created a new normal for us all,” EKU Interim President David McFaddin said in a message to the campus. “As we look toward the fall semester, our new normal will require flexibility, innovation and building on the long standing tradition of looking out for each other.”
U of L President Neeli Bendapudi has not given any update on potential alternative scheduling, but she did say the university was in the early stages of planning for the fall.
Some have not made any fall 2020 plans yet. Western Kentucky University and Northern Kentucky University and Centre College have said they are still weighing options.
Centre will look at five options for the fall semester, Ellen Goldey, vice president for Academic Affairs said in an email to faculty and staff.
Centre previously said it intended to be open for the full academic year, but that it would move to block scheduling, which the college said will help make a transition back to online classes easier if it is necessary.
The five scenarios are: having all classes on campus, having a combination of on-campus and online classes, having the first “block” of classes on campus and the other online, having the first “block” of classes online and the other on campus, or having all classes online for the full fall term.
Goldey’s email also said that the college would consider having winter and spring classes online next academic year as well, if COVID-19 remains a problem or gets worse.
The decisions will be made with recommendations from 10 subcommittees, according to Goldey’s email.
WKU has tasked “restart committees” with helping the university address reasonable scenarios for reopening in the fall, according to Provost Cheryl Stevens.
NKU also has a “COVID-19 preparedness team,” according to President Ashish Vaidya, which is going to make recommendations very soon, he told the campus.
This story was originally published May 6, 2020 at 1:15 PM.