Ivy Tech Community College will reopen its Columbus campus to assist students with fall enrollment and registration on Monday.
As it reopens, the campus will adhere to national health recommendations, including social distancing and use of face masks.
All employees, students and visitors will be expected to wear face masks in common areas of the campus and when a distance of 6 feet cannot be maintained.
The college will provide masks to all registered students and employees. Visitors are asked to bring their own masks and disposable masks will also be available for any visitors who do not have one.
The school has also added precautionary measures to help ensure the health and safety of students, employees and visitors.
“Ivy Tech Columbus is excited to welcome our students, employees, and the community back to campus. As we reopen our doors, we are taking extra precautions to make sure we meet all recommended health guidelines,” said Dr. Steven Combs, chancellor of Ivy Tech Columbus in an official statement. “We want everyone interacting with our campus, either in person or virtually, to have the best and safest experience as they prepare to start their futures.”
The school’s guiding principles for returning to campus include:
Prioritizing the safety of faculty, staff, and students
Managing campus density
Practicing social distancing
Enabling employees to work remotely
Serving students while also utilizing social distancing and face coverings
A limited number of employees will return to campus starting on Monday to manage the density of individuals on site. Additional college staff will be available virtually and can be contacted online or through campus computer kiosks.
Entry to the building will be restricted to the front doors of Poling Hall. While on campus, Ivy Tech employees will practice social distancing of 6 feet or more. There will be signs and boundary markers on campus to help maintain social distancing.
For the fall semester, Ivy Tech has two starting points to support eight-week course schedules: Aug. 24 and Oct. 26. According to Ivy Tech’s website, its schools have “built out a robust schedule of classes that will allow students maximum flexibility including both eight and 16-week terms.”
A majority of classes will be offered virtually or online, Ivy Tech officials said.
Ivy Tech’s virtual classes occur in real time, where students meet and interact with their instructors and classmates online at a scheduled time. Ivy Tech’s website states that a few virtual courses “may require you to return to campus (when safe and advisable) to complete objectives that can’t be accomplished virtually.”
The college’s online classes are more task-oriented, but still provide access for students to communicate with faculty and classmates through email and discussion boards. Online classes have no set schedules for instruction, but assignments have deadlines for completion.
Technology assistance is available for students. Online tutoring is also available for some courses, officials said.
A limited number of classes will meet in person on campus. Students will have the option to attend some of these classes virtually while the class is being taught, view video lectures and connect with faculty when needed.
Courses in some Ivy Tech Columbus programs, such as the Cyber Academy, Aviation Flight, and Manufacturing and Healthcare, will be held in person to help meet the demand for well-trained and educated employees in their respective career areas. Appropriate distancing and face coverings will be utilized during in-person classes.
According to Ivy Tech’s website, course delivery methods for its schools during the 2020 fall semester will include:
Traditional: 100% on campus
Blended traditional: 50% or less on campus
Blended online: 33-50% on campus
Virtual: 0% on campus with a skills assessment
Learn Anywhere: 0-100% on campus
Online: 0% on campus
Blended traditional, blended online and online learning all have a distance learning fee.
“As we prepare for classes this fall, we want to make sure all our students have the access they need to enroll and get their questions answered,” said Randy Proffitt, vice chancellor for enrollment services at Ivy Tech Columbus in an official statement. “We are intentionally offering our courses through distinct methods so that our students and employees feel safe and comfortable.”
According to Ivy Tech’s website, if new state or federal guidelines are released before August, schools will adjust their protocols accordingly.
The site also states that, “Official travel (in-state) by students is permitted through Dec. 31. Travel after Dec. 31 will be evaluated as the pandemic progresses and additional information about the spread of the virus is available.”
For employees, out-of-state travel may be approved by the Chancellor/Senior Vice President through Dec. 31. After that time, travel will be evaluated in the same fashion mentioned above.
“Non-intercollegiate athletics official out-of-state travel by students is suspended through the remainder of calendar 2020,” the site stated. “Intercollegiate athletics travel is approved in line with the approved COVID-19 athletics reconstitution plan and NJCAA guidance.”
International travel on college business is suspended through the rest of the year for both students and employees.
Ivy Tech has also updated its employee health plan to cover “the cost of COVID-19 testing and the care visit where the test takes place with no out-of-pocket costs for the member.”
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Ivy Tech has two starting points for the fall semester to support eight-week course schedules: Aug. 24 and Oct. 26.
Students can enroll for either start date by calling 888-IVY-LINE, emailing [email protected], or visiting the campus. All enrollment services will also continue to be provided virtually.
More information on Ivy Tech’s COVID-19 measures can be viewed at https://www.ivytech.edu/coronavirus.html.
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