Most classes at Montgomery College this fall will be virtual, with some programs like automotive technology having very limited on-campus classes.
The college offers distance learning and structured remote learning. While both are virtual, they are different in that structured remote learning has students meet at specific days/times on a virtual platform like Zoom or Blackboard. Distance learning is more independent. Students work by their own schedules while following deadlines and guidance from instructors.
Members of the college’s Coronavirus Advisory Team told MyMCMedia that the structured remote learning model was successful during the second summer session. Instructional Dean of Health Sciences and Director of Nursing Dr. Monique Davis said she guesses it will always remain an option. Although Montgomery College already offered distance learning options before the COVID-19 pandemic, the structured remote learning model was new. Director of Media and Public Relations Marcus Rosano said the college will always offer distance learning.
Davis said there’s been an uptick in students using resources remotely since introducing remote structured learning and the college is meeting students right where they are. She received positive feedback about student engagement with the model and said students who didn’t like the independent learning style of distance instruction liked the structured remote style.
The fall semester begins Aug. 31 and ends Dec. 20. The college already announced that the winter session, which begins Dec. 21 and ends Jan. 22, 2021, will be virtual. No formal decisions have been made about the spring 2021 semester.
Watch MyMCMedia’s interview with Montgomery College Coronavirus Advisory Team members:
