Amid the social distancing efforts to help curb the spread of COVID-19, colleges nation-wide are switching to distance learning. Students who once met in a classroom now find themselves needing to navigate online resources and tools from their own homes.
Chemeketa Community College has created a remote learning hub for students to help them be successful in their classes. The hub has information about remote learning and links to resources and services for students.
Under the information tab, students can find answers to questions on topics such as: how to access courses; how class attendance is managed, testing plans, a brief overview of how to use Zoom – an app that lets students attend class meetings virtually – and more.
This part of the hub also offers a remote learning checklist to help students prepare for the beginning of the term.
Courses can be accessed through eLearn. Students can log in with their My Chemeketa username and password.
Zoom meetings and assignment deadlines are up to the discretion of instructors, the hub advises reading the syllabus and checking in with individual instructors to see what it expected. Zoom meetings should be, if at all, held on the same dates and times classes would’ve been held on campus.
Students are also advised to email their professors about testing procedures.
The second part of the hub offers services and resources for students. Textbooks and course material can be bought online with free shipping, there are no in-person purchasing options for this term.
Here, students can find information about how/when to access the writing center, student retention and life, counseling services and academic advising.
Additionally Chemeketa will not be assessing late fees for spring term charges.
“Classes and services will be offered virtually for all of spring term,” Chemeketa President Jessica Howard said in an all student email that went out on Friday, April 3.
There is free wifi outside of Building 14 on the Salem campus. Students are asked to maintain social distancing and stay inside their cars as the campus itself is closed. An all student email said the college is working to create other outdoor wifi locations.
“[We] are taking on new responsibilities and learning new ways to keep our college moving forward,” Howard said in her message to students.
To access the remote learning hub visit www.chemeketa.edu/remotelearninghub/.