As faculty, staff and students prepare for Fall classes at Arkansas State University-Mountain Home (ASUMH), options are varied – there will be in-person classes with social distancing, fully online classes, or a combination of the two using Zoom Classrooms, where students log into a class in real time and watch from a distance. In preparation for this new approach to learning, ASUMH is following the same structure that it has successfully used in the past for its programming degrees to give students whatever option they feel most comfortable with, given the new environment COVID19 has created.
“This type of flexibility in learning is not a new concept for ASUMH,” said Chancellor Robin Myers. “Our Computer Programming degree has been offering classes in this fashion via Zoom for a couple of years very successfully. We’re just expanding our offerings so that students are able to choose the delivery method that is right for them for any program they are studying.”
To accomplish this, ASUMH is installing new equipment in 34 classrooms in the coming weeks. Zoom provides secure video communication services for hybrid classrooms, and even allows faculty an online option for office hours, administrative meetings and other needs.
Dr. Tamara Daniel, Provost/Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at ASUMH said faculty and students transitioned to fully online learning quickly in March as COVID19 precautions began being implemented and are ready to proceed with the Fall semester in this innovative new way. “Our quick transition to a virtual learning environment highlights the incredible professional expertise and commitment to student learning by our faculty members,” added Daniel.
Zoom Classrooms expand traditional classrooms with video communications including HD video and audio. Students can join classes virtually, from any device, during their regularly scheduled class time while instructors are teaching live. Sessions are also recorded and allows students to learn at their own pace, or re-watch classes, which also helps with retention.
Fall classes are scheduled to begin on August 17. The current schedule, listed on the website at asumh.edu, includes seated classes and online classes. Any seated class listed will be converted to a Zoom Classroom option. Students should choose any option that is best for them. Fully online classes do not include the Zoom Classroom online component but are the same as previous online class formats. Courses that have hands-on components, such as health science courses, science labs, and technical courses, will meet in small group settings where social distancing and face coverings are required.
In addition to providing students with a flexible learning environment, ASUMH has worked to develop protocols for the return to campus, including screening for COVID 19 symptoms, sanitization of all buildings on campus and at the Technical Center, requiring face coverings, providing sanitizing stations, chairs in classrooms and public spaces marked for social distancing, staggered appointments. A team of leaders has been assigned to a COVID task force to provide a clean, safe space for faculty, staff and students and is adjusting protocols and classroom structures in real-time according to CDC and state guidelines.
For more information or to enroll for classes, contact Carla Stroud, ASUMH’s recruiter, at cstroud@asumh.edu or apply online at asumh.edu.
