With the coronavirus (COVID-19) declared a pandemic Wednesday by the World Health Organization (WHO), office spaces are taking precautions by encouraging employees to telecommute, professional sports leagues are suspending their seasons and national conferences are being canceled.
A little more than 1,200 COVID-19 cases are being reported in the U.S. and there have been 36 deaths due to the infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Globally, there are more than 125,000 confirmed cases and there have been 4,613 deaths, WHO reported.
In the higher education sector, preparations are being made to transition into distance learning.
“So much of what we hear and read regarding the coronavirus is alarming and is new ground for many of us,” said Dr. Jerry Corcoran, president of Illinois Valley Community College, in a statement. “We will continue monitoring the situation closely and will do everything we can to lessen the likelihood of it spreading.”
Many institutions across the country have already canceled face-to-face classes and adopted online teaching. However, for community colleges, there is a need to address access and equity concerns among students.
“We know that our campus and our people are very important to our students and it might be the most together, organized part of their life,” said Dr. Steve Robinson, president of Owens Community College. “The routine of coming to a class every day and eating in our cafeteria and having people to talk to provides a lot for some students. And the fact that we aren’t doing a lot of face-to-face instruction and some of our large events are canceled will disproportionately impact some students.”
To transition to online courses, faculty can employ various technology options, including using Zoom, a videoconferencing tool, to host online class meetings, and placing coursework on systems such as Blackboard and Moodle.
