Bristol Community College: No fully face-to-face classes in the fall

FALL RIVER – Most of the students heading to Bristol Community College in the fall will be staying home for their studies.

In a letter sent to students on Wednesday, Bristol announced there will be no fully face-to-face classes in the fall semester.

The only students that will be on campus for a portion of their courses will be those in classes that have a necessary hands-on component, such as dental hygiene and veterinary studies, said President Laura Douglas.

This fall, the school will be offering three formats: fully online; Synchronous Live, an entirely new platform at the college that operates similar to a Zoom meeting with the option of participating during the live portion or watching it later; and the hybrid online and hands-on courses that will require face masks, social distancing and precautionary measures.

"The three formats are a whole new redesign to address learning in the age of COVID-19,” said Douglas.

The online program, on a platform they already use called Blackboard, also offers cost-savings to students with digital textbooks, she added.

Though students may be disappointed they won’t be in a classroom learning with their peers, and faculty will miss traditional class time, she said the decision was the right one given the number of COVID-19 cases in the SouthCoast.

“The faculty loves being in a classroom with their students and having those immediate reactions. They love engaging students in that environment,” she said.

The long, slow surge of cases in the SouthCoast and reports from around the world about a second wave contributed to the decision, said Douglas. In particular, she mentioned South Korea having to close schools after being open for only two weeks as cases immediately surged there. “It’s extremely difficult to think about putting the health and safety of your college community at risk,” she added.

In addition to keeping students safe, they also wanted to keep the faculty and staff safe. Douglas said more than 30% of the workforce at colleges and universities is over age 60 and other employees may have health factors that put them at risk. “There’s a very interesting narrative in higher education literature about faculty and staff feeling forgotten by these colleges and universities that have decided to go face-to-face in the fall,” said Douglas. “I think the faculty is sad they won’t have face-to-face, but there’s also great relief in knowing they will be home safe in the fall.”

With significantly lower tuition rates and MassTransfer programs shaving the cost of tuition for the first two years of college, Bristol is poised to be an option for students who are pondering what kind of experience they will have at a four-year college or university this fall, said Douglas. Citing an increase in enrollment for summer courses, she said that may be a strong indication that students will opt for the community college this fall.

In a recent op-ed to The Herald News, Douglas wrote, “If you attend one of the UMass campuses, you are saving $15,000 to $20,000 over two years. If you are attending a private university, there could be a two-year savings of between $45,000 and $90,000. The end result is the same degree.”  

Students have up to Sept. 1 to register for courses at Bristol. Douglas also urged students to apply for financial aid, even if they don’t think they’re eligible.

Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.