Most of the nearly 5,000 students enrolled at the Front Range Community College Boulder County campus in Longmont this fall will learn via computer or other remote technology, said school officials.
The students who do take in-person classes starting Aug. 24 will follow strict protocols set up to limit exposure to COVID-19, said Elena Sandoval-Lucero, FRCC vice president for the Boulder County campus.
Sandoval-Lucero said both groups were given a taste of the new normal in the era of COVID-19 when classes reconvened in the spring after being halted because of the virus. Nearly all classes were taught remotely which meant students had to readjust their college experience, she said.
“I think students miss the social component,” Sandoval-Luerco said. “They don’t have the programming and events that take place on campus. But there is online engagement and I think that is also something they enjoy.”
Kim Wilmington said she and her classmates were well prepared for COVID-19 guidelines this summer. All were working towards becoming an emergency medical technician. The class had to be taught on campus since they were learning how to properly insertan IV into a patient.
“We were always wearing gloves and masks which sort of helped us meet restrictions,” Wilmington said. The classes were also split up between online lectures and learning in-person.
“It was still a little weird,” Wilmington said. “My husband wasn’t too happy with me going to class with everything going on. We have a four-year-old and my grandmother living at home. So there is that worry they will be especially vulnerable.”
“But we made it work in class,” she said. “Everybody respected the safety protocols..we wore masks and there were hand sanitizers all around.”
Most of FRCC’s lecture-based class will be offered via remote or online, Sandoval-Lucero said. A lecture course is one that does not require a hands-on or laboratory component.
Hands-on classes will meet both on campus and online. The hands-on parts of class will be for labs, studio or shop work, said FRCC spokeswoman Jessica Peterson.
Small groups will meet for in-person sessions and they must wear masks and use appropriate social distancing, Peterson said.
Masks must also be worn on campus and free masks will be available to faculty and students who need them, she said. Plexiglass barriers will be at front desks, in certain labs and other spaces.
Extra cleaning and more hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes will be available around campus, she said.
Sandoval-Lucero also said the college is exploring making COVID-19 testing available on campus.
FRCC and other community colleges are likely finding it easier to implement COVID-19 protocols since students already live off campus and many have children. FRCC does not depend on them living and socializing on campus to help with the bottom line.
“I think universities have a bit more pressure because of the revenue they get from residence halls and sport teams,” Sandoval-Lucero said. “We don’t have those concerns, we just want the best for our students and their families.”
