Bay College issued the following announcement.
With over 100 courses and three degree programs online, Bay College students can complete 100% of their coursework entirely online. With the growth of Bay’s online learning platform, faculty and instructors were well prepared to transition to teaching all online courses with the onset of the current COVID-19 pandemic. According to Bay President Dr. Laura Coleman, “Over 70% of Bay College students take at least one online class; most students have experience navigating the online delivery format. Additionally, the employees of Bay have done an incredible job supporting online delivery, providing even more digital resources to students, including online tutoring and support. I'm proud to be part of the incredible Bay College team.”
Bay College started offering online courses in the winter semester of 1999 with three courses in the areas of Business, Economics and English and has since been a leader in online instruction, both in terms of access and quality. Since that time, faculty have embraced this new learning modality and even teach challenging courses such as Spanish, Algebra, and Calculus in an online platform. Instructor Ann Sebeck recalls, "As one of the first instructors at Bay to offer online classes, many years ago, the growth and popularity has not surprised me. At the time we started our online offerings it was clear to see the need of alternative learning methods. Student's lives were busier and those who wanted to further their education needed another format to do so. Attending an in-seat class, just wasn't possible for so many. The online environment fit their needs and the growth happened. I am proud to have been in the early stages of Bay's online offerings. We have fulfilled the need, experienced the growth and continue to improve every day!"
Flexible online course design has even brought teaching complex math courses to the online arena. The uniqueness of teaching mathematical concepts has its challenges for students and instructors alike but also has a proven track record of success with the biggest advantage for students being the flexibility of the schedule. Students can watch the videos and work on the coursework at any time of the day.
Britt Slade, math instructor at Bay College West Campus in Iron Mountain, utilizes Zoom sessions and email in addition to the posting notes and recording corresponding lecture videos on the Blackboard LMS to ensure student success. “My favorite thing about teaching online math is that it challenges me to be a better instructor because I have to figure out new ways to connect with students and deliver the material. I also get to know my students in a different way. Many of them open up to me more through their journal entries, more than they might in a face-to-face class” states Slade.
Online student Thea Fradette offers the following testimonial, “I'm a non-traditional student giving it the ol' college try...again. When I discovered the myriad programs Bay College offered online, I was excited to apply for my Associate Degree in Business. As a full-time employee and mother of two children, the online atmosphere is exactly what I needed to finish school. It couldn't have been easier to enroll, apply for financial aid, and register for courses. I was able to get a head start because the course textbooks were available to me before the course began. My instructors are responsive and engaging; I am never left waiting for an answer. I have found the digital resources invaluable to my education. I am also able to work more independently--as long as my assignments are completed on time, I can take as many breaks as I need to. If I need to step away from the computer to tend to my family, I can. If I can't sleep at 3:00 AM, I can hop on Blackboard and get some reading done.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Bay College class offerings had moved to a partial online or hybrid format in conjunction with face-to-face in a physical setting on campus providing greater flexibility for traditional and non-traditional learners alike. Online courses between the Escanaba and Iron Mountain campuses are a great example of bridging potential gaps in course offerings for students to ensure their path to success.
Remote high schools also realize the benefits online learning brings to their students in a way that used to be unheard of. Now, advanced education courses can be brought directly to the student rather than the student having to travel to campus. The same advantages apply to dually enrolled high school students without the worry of college level class times interfering with their high school course schedule.
Students enrolled in online or hybrid courses at Bay College complete the mandatory Online Learning Orientation (OLO) in Blackboard, Bay’s learning management system (LMS), before they access their online courses. The Blackboard LMS allows faculty to create discussion boards, blogs, wikis, quizzes, assignment drop boxes, and even lecture capture which students can watch as many times as they want or need. Every class offered at Bay College has a Blackboard space.
“We were well prepared to transition to all online for the pandemic. For sure, there still were hiccups and for some a learning curve, but Bay College - at large - was prepared well for a global, crisis situation with which no one could have had direct experience prior,” commented June Klees, Bay College instructor. Since 2011, Bay College’s commitment to deliver high quality online learning experiences includes certifying all instructors who teach online and that digital class content is accessible to all students. The Department of Online Learning at Bay College offers continual training to faculty and staff as advances in technology and accessibility become available. And with many courses using Open Educational Resources, or OER online textbooks that are free to students online and low cost in the bookstore, Bay College students save hundreds of dollars each semester on their college expenses.
As the premier college for online learning in the UP, Bay College is committed to serving the traditional as well as the non-traditional learner in every capacity. Summer classes will continue in an online delivery or alternative format with the current COVID pandemic state.
Students interested in learning more about online instruction and courses at Bay College are encouraged to visit the Learn Online web page or Email Online Learning. Online Summer 1 classes begin May 18, Summer 2 starts June 29, and Fall 2020 classes start August 31.
Original source can be found here.
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