Southern Union to continue online instruction in Summer
Southern Union State Community College will continue online or alternate delivery instruction through summer semester. Limited face-to-face offerings in specialized courses in the health sciences and technical divisions will occur later in the summer as allowed. Summer classes begin May 18.
“We have made this decision in an effort to continue to do our part to fight the spread of the coronavirus,” said Southern Union President Todd Shackett. “Southern Union has a longstanding successful record in online instruction, so we are fully equipped to handle this challenge. We stay committed to supporting our students and urge them to take advantage of resources such as online tutoring through our success center, or other campus resources to help them be successful. We encourage our students, faculty and staff to continue to take proper precautions and stay well.”
A breakdown of summer instruction via each instructional division is as follows:
Academic
Courses in the academic division will be taught online. The usual fee associated with online courses will be waived, as will the online orientation course that is required for first-time online courses. Students who have already registered for on-campus classes will be transitioned to the online course and will be contacted.
Health Sciences
Health Sciences will begin the semester with online instruction teaching the theory portion of the courses. A method of conducting hands-on lab time will be determined and announced to each class. This face to face instruction will occur mid to late semester. Admission for the nursing program scheduled to begin this summer on the Wadley campus has been delayed to fall. Students who have been admitted to this program will maintain their spot in the cohort.
Technical Education and Workforce Development
The Technical and Workforce Development Division will conduct instruction via a hybrid method beginning with the theory portion of courses taught online. The hands-on labs will be completed on campus later in the summer. In the event that a lab is unable to meet at full capacity, a staggered lab schedule will be developed to ensure that each student is brought on campus. For example, if students are able to return at 25% capacity using personal protection equipment, three to four students would attend lab for a few hours then rotate more students, repeating until all students have had the opportunity to come on campus and complete their hands-on competencies.
“We will be flexible with lab time to the best of our ability,” added Shackett. “We are trying to make it as easy as possible for our students to successfully complete their courses.”
Stay informed of the latest information about the coronavirus via the Alabama Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or by visiting the COVID-19 link on suscc.edu.
With campuses in Wadley, Opelika and Valley, Southern Union is the second oldest two-year college in the state of Alabama. For more information on registering for summer semester please visit suscc.edu and click on the summer registration information link.