NMC fall semester to be 90% online

After an initial plan to implement a mix of online classes and in-person instruction for the upcoming fall semester, the Northern Marianas College has now decided to offer 90% of its classes online.

To help maximize student and employee safety, NMC’s upcoming fall semester will be offered mostly online, with 90% of the 247 classes to be taught virtually or online, and only 10% will be taught in a face-to-face class; this mix is what is referred to as a hybrid format.

“For the classes that need to be taught in a face-to-face format, our facilities team continues to make essential upgrades to help keep our classrooms clean and COVID-19-free,” said NMC interim president Frankie Eliptico.

He said the college will be talking about its plans with the Governor’s COVID-19 Task Force and will also be seeking its formal endorsement of the plan.

The fall semester begins on Aug. 17, 2020.

Over the last few weeks, in preparation for the new semester, NMC has also made multiple facilities upgrades to its campuses as part of its efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Those upgrades include the installation of plexiglass sanitation barriers at each office, the retrofitting of service counters at the admissions, financial aid, and finance offices, and the installation of touchless faucets, touchless flush kits, and touchless soap and towel dispensers.

Floor markers and informational signage related to minimizing the spread of COVID-19 have also been installed in each campus.

In addition, classrooms at NMC have been reorganized to maximize social distancing. That means only nine students and an instructor will be allowed in a classroom at any given time.

In addition, the college will be reminding its students and employees to self-screen at their homes before they come to the campus, Eliptico said. “We will also be sending daily emails to the NMC community reminding everyone to stay home if they exhibit COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms,” he said.

Eliptico also stressed that the college will roll back or scale back any reopening activities if certain factors in the community and the COVID-19 infection rate changes significantly.

All students, employees, and visitors must also wear a mask at all times while on campus.
Those who would like to learn more about the fall 2020 semester may visit the NMC website at www.marianas.edu or call 237-6770.