Richland Community College recently announced its plans for the fall semester, including measures it will take concerning the safety of its students and employees in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Restore Richland plan hinges upon the State of Illinois’ progress as it moves in to Stage 4 of the Restore Illinois plan outlined by Governor Pritzker. The college’s plan is subject to change as the state outlines its plan in the days to come.
President Cris Valdez noted, “We place a high priority on the health and safety of all Richland employees and students. This plan outlines safety protocols and requirements, while addressing how we will conduct ourselves as we gradually reintegrate into campus in our offices, classrooms, labs and other spaces.”
President Valdez added. “This plan will serve as a guide to best practices and outlines the requirements Richland is implementing to help ensure the health and well-being or our entire college community. Implementation of this plan will begin Tuesday, July 7, 2020, and be in effect until further notice as statewide or regional Restore Illinois restrictions allow.”
In addition to an outlined return plan for staff and faculty, the Restore Richland plan includes the following formats for its class and lab delivery methods for the fall semester:
ONLINE: All instruction and assignments are provided online with specific due dates as outlined by the Instructor. Instructors might provide opportunities for live synchronous sessions.
ONLINE LIVE: There is a mandatory time when the Instructor and students are online together. An example of this is a live lecture streamed to students over the Internet. All other course materials and assignments are provided online and available at any time during a specified period as outlined by the Instructor. Scheduled time requirements will vary between courses and sections; please refer to the course schedule for more information.
HYBRID: A hybrid class is a combination of face-to-face and ONLINE or ONLINE LIVE instruction. The course content and most assignments are provided online, but some on-campus face-to-face instruction is still required. Examples of this are skills-based activities and labs done on campus, but lecture and other assignments are done online. During this face-to-face component, social distancing and other mitigation efforts will be required including face coverings. More details will be provided under the guidelines of the Governor’s Restore Illinois Plan as they develop. Face-to-face time requirements will vary between hybrid courses and sections; please refer to the course schedule for more information.
The full Restore Richland plan can be found on the college website at richland.edu/coronavirus.
Students interested in registering for fall classes are encouraged to visit https://www.richland.edu/newstudents/apply-enroll-at-richland/ for details about registration. There you will find a step-by-step process on how to become a Richland student.