Because of the potential for a COVID-19 resurgence in the fall, the faculty and staff at Chattanooga State are working on plans that ensure we can continue to deliver a quality educational experience for our students, while also protecting the safety, security, and health of our campus community.
While the College is not changing the Fall 2020 calendar, based on guidance from the CDC and the State of Tennessee, the College has made the decision to modify instructional delivery for the fall 2020 semester, with course instruction being taught through virtual (synchronous), online (asynchronous), and/or hybrid methods.
Virtual: Courses are offered using a video conferencing service such as Teams, Zoom, or Webex to deliver live instruction at a specified time and day as listed in the fall schedule. Virtual is also called virtual synchronous, meaning a course has assigned days and times for when the class meets.
Online: Traditional online courses do not meet on a certain day or at a certain time but are taught completely through the Chattanooga State Community College learning management system
(LMS). Online courses are also referred to as asynchronous.
Hybrid: Courses are offered part online (asynchronous) and/or part virtual (synchronous) instruction and part face-to-face instruction. The face-to-face instruction will be limited primarily to programs that have a strong hands-on component that cannot be delivered in a virtual environment. Dates for the on campus instruction will be listed in the course syllabus or course learning management system.
This blend of instructional methods allows for flexibility and contingency planning in the fall, as well as helps to reduce the number of people on campus and allow for social distancing. Chattanooga State faculty are working now to determine the best option for each class. This will result in some changes to the fall course schedules. These changes will be communicated to students in the coming weeks.
Building upon the proven 20-plus year record of online teaching and learning success, Chattanooga State also will be expanding the number of fully online courses offered this fall through ChattState Online. Before the pandemic, ChattState Online offered more than 30 fully online degrees and certificates led by well-trained online instructors and provided a high-quality learning experience. In fact, nearly one-third of Chattanooga State students took one or more fully online courses before COVID-19.
“It is our hope that by making these decisions now, we will have the time to build the appropriate resources to support our students, ensuring their experience this fall is positive,” said Dr. Elizabeth Norton, vice president of Academic Affairs. “We still have quite a bit of work to accomplish before we start classes on Aug. 24, and we will continue to keep our students informed as our plans evolve.”
Registration for the fall semester is open now. For more information, please call 697-4404 or visit chattanoogastate.edu/advising-registration. To learn more about ChattState Online, visit chattanoogastate.edu/chattstate-online.