NOVEMBER 2020 • Volume 21, Number 3
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Download this PDF issue Be sure to check out the links to your desktop and enjoy! E-EDITION to advertisers, podcasts, more! SCC News & Viewpoints Since 2000 • NOVEMBER 2020 • Volume 21, Number 3 We are SCC: Somerset Campus • Laurel Campus • Casey Center • Clinton Center • McCreary Center • Russell Center Local virus infections spike College returns to restrictions due to increase in COVID cases By Noah Allen Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has been a turbulent year around the world and even at SCC. The college began to adjust to the crisis back in the spring with a transi- tion to online learning. This fall, most classes moved back to face-to-face, but with #HealthyatSCC protocols, including social distancing and man- datory masks for all. Now, as of November 18th, the college is minimizing the number of days and time people are physically on campus in order to reduce the chances of spreading COVID-19, with most classes moving immediately to a fully online format again. “The past two weeks have shown us that the COVID virus is still around and that while we have done a very good job of managing the environ- ment on campus, we cannot say the same for off-campus,” said Dr. Carey Castle, President of SCC, in an email The key to success in college is an open book Photo by Noah Allen to the faculty and staff. A lot has changed at SCC since the arrival of the pandemic this past spring, but for students there is one constant—studying. Cases have continued to rise at Above, Nursing program student Jacob Cox found time to hit the books in the Learning Commons on the Somerset Campus See NEW RESTRICTIONS on Page 14 before the campus and all other SCC locations returned to an increased distance learning format on November 19. Online instruction is discussed - Page 3 —INSIDE THIS ISSUE — A tribute to Betty Peterson- Page 15 Virtual events Couple who met Links to podcasts become the norm at SCC return for hosted by student during pandemic wedding day photos staff of the paper —PAGE 6— —PAGE 10— —PAGE 12— A Student Publication For Somerset Community College • For The Students, By The Students • Check out our Facebook page @SCC The Bridge PAGE 2 THE BRIDGE NOVEMBER 2020 NOVEMBER 2020 THE BRIDGE PAGE 3 COMMENTS, OPINIONS & NEWS Fast transition to online needs a course correction As an SCC student, I have had some good you have probably found online courses along the yourself forced onto the way, so I know this pro- online learning platform fessor is not providing me this semester, either be- with enough material or cause there were too few instruction to walk away in-person that would fit from this class having your schedule to begin learned anything of real with or because one or value. more of your classes has By When the pattern of the moved online during the Christen course became evident, I course of the semester. contacted the appropriate Of course, the reason Gibson department chair, as we you have had to make Managing Editor are encouraged to do when Illustration by this unwanted adjustment we have problems with Noah Allen is the same COVID-19 our instructors. I instantly monster that has changed almost regretted it. I expressed my concern A message from Dr. Clint Hayes everything in our world in 2020. with the quality of education in this The pandemic has affected us in particular class and explained in de- many obvious ways, including our tail how the online platform was be- Addressing online learning student concerns health and our daily livelihood. But ing misused. Do you want to know Student issues regarding our transition to additional is currently doing to address these concerns. We need one area that too few are talking the response I got? online/virtual delivery due to COVID 19 and SCCs to do a better job with this as well. I want this message about is the ongoing impact it is “The format your teacher is online program in general have become apparent this to serve as a starting point for the discussion we need having on our college education. using for this online class is what week. to have about this issue, and that the rest of this mes- Early this semester, I spoke with most of [our instructors] use,” I was If any of you have taken the time to watch this sage will serve as guidance for our conversations. SCC President Dr. Carey Castle. told in an email. “Students have week’s podcast of The Gateway then you are likely The idea of improving our online courses is not During our conversation, he asked a textbook, and it is up to them to as concerned about what you heard as something new, and SCC has taken me the following question: “How teach themselves the course.” [Yes, I am. If you have not already, I encour- Dr. Hayes is Senior multiple steps in the past to address con- are we doing with the online tran- you read that correctly.] age you to watch the podcast and lis- Vice President of cerns with our online delivery including sition?” Back then, two weeks into She continued: “The faculty as- ten carefully to what these students are Academic Affairs implementing common Blackboard the semester, I was hopeful, and my signed to the class answers emails saying. We all need to hear it. I believe course shells, providing quality assess- answer reflected that optimism. and questions, makes sure the tech- the conversation held by these students indicated some ments of online classes (granted, not every class has Now that the Fall 2020 semes- nology is working, and handles concerns that I have heard consistently from both stu- been evaluated recently), and providing professional ter is nearing an end, I can finally grades for the course. I am not sure dents and faculty, but that there is an obvious misun- development opportunities to help support online answer the question with more what you expected a completely derstanding along with some very good points. teaching. certainty and from personal experi- online course to be, but this course Watching the podcast, I heard some things that the The problem I see with this is that while the idea ence. SCC was not ready to provide is what most of them are like.” college needs to address as soon as possible. of improving our online courses is not new, and even a quality online education experi- Teach myself the course? The First, students are uninformed about what we are with the steps previously taken, our students consis- ence for all of its students -- cer- course I pay for? In fact, the course currently doing to address online course quality and tently bring up some of the same issues. This is evident tainly not for me. I pay extra for because it is online? how we deliver virtual content overall. We need to do from the podcast conversation. I have a class in which I am ex- That is not my idea of a quality a better job communicating with our students; partic- More than a year ago SCC wrote a Title III grant pected to read a chapter in a text- education. ularly what we have done to make the COVID course application that included multiple elements related to book and then take a 20-question As for the statement that this is delivery transition as good as we could do in the time improving online/virtual course delivery. Fortunately, graded test (in less than 15 minutes, how most courses online are, I am allotted to do it, and the steps we have taken to make we were recently awarded that Title III grant (Raising by the way) each week as the sole within weeks of completing two our online courses more like face-to-face courses with Appalachia: Innovative Student Engagement (RAISE)) basis of my learning in the course. Associate’s degrees, over half the synchronous delivery. Likewise, some faculty and to help support many of the initiatives we want to pur- This has bothered me greatly. See ONLINE CLASSES on Page 4 staff may not be well informed about what the college See ONLINE LEARNING CONCERNS on Page 16 November 2020 • Volume 21 • Number 3 — Email the paper at: [email protected] THE BRIDGE STAFF Contributors Faculty Managing Editor - Christen Gibson Assistant Editor - Demareon Jones At Large: Advisors: THE BRIDGE [email protected]__________ [email protected]__________ Ray Hunter Jeff Harris Formerly named The Mirror and still sometimes doing business as The Mirror Technical Specialist - Noah Allen Contributing Staff - Jon Gibson Cheyenne Owens Stuart Simpson Distributed to all SCC locations and available online at: somerset.kctcs.edu [email protected] [email protected] Kaitlyn Kulpa PAGE 4 THE BRIDGE NOVEMBER 2020 Online classes had to learn to do so on the fly. Un- derstandably, the quality of some of Continued from Page 3 those courses was not great. Unfor- More than a label: courses for which have been earned tunately, many of those instructors online. This is NOT how the better are still under-trained, still inexpe- online classes are. rienced, and still teaching online. A young black man’s perspective In higher quality online classes, And there is not much oversight. students are provided with chapter Professors right now are creating What does color mean to you? This year, throughout a series of con- objectives, highlighting the mate- courses for students in the Spring I’m finding that, depending on who troversies in the black community, I have rial they are expected to study and that not a single person other than you ask, the answer will become a con- seen modern labeling tactics used in an know for a test.