CLC offers flexible course formats for fall semester
College of Lake County will be open in the fall with various flexible course formats. In accordance with Restore Illinois and college transition plans, students can take online, in-person and blended classes when the semester starts Aug. 24.
While many college classes will now be online in either a live class via Zoom format or online anytime, CLC will offer eight- and 16-week in-person classes. These focus on course work, with unique needs such as labs or other exercises requiring specialized equipment.
Additionally, the college will provide general education classes in a face-to-face format, including the new hybrid FlexPath classes.
To help students who have a hard time finding classes that fit their busy lives, CLC created FlexPath. This new eight- and 16-week class schedule blends online learning with in-person classes one day per week.
Utilizing smart scheduling, each class rotates across different time blocks term by term. For example, if a student is available Monday evenings, they'll get a different course option in that time frame each eight-week period. Instead of rearranging work, family or other obligations every semester to make room for when a class happens to be available, FlexPath ensures there's always a course ready when students are.
"I believe FlexPath is going provide access to the classes our students need for degree completion and advancement in a manner that maximizes their learning, while also fitting into the rest of their lives," communication, humanities and fine arts dean Sheldon Walcher said.
"The research is pretty clear: students learn best in programs that combine aspects of traditional and online instruction. With that in mind, FlexPath courses have been carefully designed to provide a rigorous, highly engaging learning experience by blending the best elements of hands-on learning with outstanding online tools and resources."
Students with in-person classes this fall should expect social distancing in the classroom will continue to keep everyone safe in the new COVID-19 reality. CLC has prepared plans to transition students back to campus with safety and social distancing in mind.
Fall in-person classes and labs will commence with social distancing of at least six feet apart, face masks, extra hand sanitizer, modified work and student spaces with deep cleaning on a regular basis of classrooms, restrooms and campus spaces.
To help ready campus for students to return, an interdisciplinary college task force created a college transition plan. The plan is a gradual phased approach to prepare CLC's campuses for the delivery of fall classes, designed to maximize health and safety of CLC's campus community based on public health guidance and aligns with the Restore Illinois plan.
The plan is built for flexibility based on new information from the governor, Illinois Department of Health, Lake County Health Department and Illinois Community College Board.