NEMCC To Offer More In Person Classes In 2021

BLUE SPRINGS, MISS. (WCBI) – A community college in our area is offering a ‘Back To Normal” traditional schedule of in-person classes for the Spring Semester.

NEMCC has offered a variety of learning formats this semester, including face-to-face, online, hybrid, and zoom, but after hearing from students the decision has been made to offer more, in-person classroom instruction.

“Over eighty percent of our students indicated they really needed a face to face class situation,” said NEMCC President Dr. Ricky Ford.

NEMCC students Callie Stanley and Arleigh Johnson agree. Both have been taking online classes and say there are some challenges.

“Each student learns different and it’s hard for students who have trouble with online classes,” Stanley said.

“College algebra, I had that this semester and it was kind of difficult, was my first time ever having a math class online,” Johnson said.

Dr. Ford says strict safety protocols will be in place, as the college offers more in person classes next semester.

Social distancing guidelines will be in place inside classrooms, masks will be required for students and instructors, rooms will be disinfected after each class. Contact tracing will take place whenever there is a positive case.

Those extra safety measures require funds that aren’t in the budget. Doctor Ford says the federal CARES Act will provide some relief.

“All of the masks, disinfectants that deal with covid prevention and spread of disease is money provided by CARES ACT and government provided for us, it helped us out,” Dr. Ford said.

Doctor Ford says in-person classroom instruction works best for students and instructors.

“We cannot shut down our institutions of higher learning, we must learn to navigate through this entire process and get some type of normalcy into our everyday life and our student’s lives,” he said.

Doctor Ford hopes NEMCC will be an example to other schools and show that face to face classroom instruction is possible, with the proper safety protocols.

Virtual, Hybrid, and Zoom options will be available for students who aren’t quite ready for in-person instruction at NEMCC.