The following information was provided by MassBay College:
Joining in the global movement to limit large gatherings, MassBay Community College is encouraging faculty to transition their courses online in an effort to facilitate social distancing wherever possible. Much of the training and curriculum conversion will happen the week of March 16, 2020 during spring break.
The following week of March 23, 2020, online courses already in progress will continue as usual. However, no face-to-face classes will be held to allow professors more time to convert their classes and prepare their students for the change in format. Students are encouraged to check their MassBay email accounts often, from today on, as professors will be communicating changes in their class formats that will begin the week of March 30, 2020.
“We are in unprecedented territory and information from local, state, and federal officials is fluid. The wisest course, at present, is to use remote learning tools as much as possible,” said MassBay President Dr. David Podell. “Our priority is the health of our students, faculty, and staff, which is why we are moving as many courses and support resources online to promote social distancing. Second, in support of our mission of educating our students we are transitioning in-person courses to online whenever possible to minimize the impact this pandemic could have on students’ progress in their studies.
“The community college mission includes educating students from low-income backgrounds, some of whom do not have access to computers or broadband, so we will stay open as long as possible. I have no doubt our students, faculty, and staff will rise to the occasion and succeed under these unprecedented circumstances.”
MassBay continues to follow the guidelines and recommendations of the Commonwealth and will adjust our plans accordingly to keep everyone safe and healthy. The College is communicating daily with our community through email, as well as posting updates on our dedicated web page, MassBay.edu/coronavirus.