College to hold hybrid and fully online courses for fall semester

Durham Technical Community College plans to continue its approach from the summer into fall semester with the majority of courses being held online with some essential hybrid or in-person exceptions.

By July 24, the College will determine which courses are online (completely remote), hybrid (a mix of remote and some time on campus), or seated (mostly on campus with social distancing and safety precautions).

Tom Jaynes, Interim President of Durham Tech, said safety is a top priority for the College and leadership has worked through the summer to create and implement safety procedures for the courses that need to meet in-person.

“Many of our deans chose early on to move to online formats for the fall semester, and we are now developing plans for the limited number of in-person courses that need to meet on campus,” Jaynes said. “It’s very important to us -- as both an equity-minded institution and a community resource -- to provide safe and accessible opportunities to serve students who may not have equal access to technology.

“We’re keeping our commitment to being an open-door institution top of mind during this process and we’ll continue to look for ways to remove barriers to success here at Durham Tech, even during these unprecedented times.”

Earlier this summer, the College began outfitting front desks and service areas with plexiglass and other shield options as a part of its preparations for future phased openings. Durham Tech is currently in Phase 2 of its reopening plan and is monitoring state and local guidance as to its timeline for Phase 3. In June, Durham Tech also published a detailed resource guide, “What to Expect When Returning to Campus,” that will be updated as College operations and procedures are finalized for classes that need to meet on campus.

Courses that may be available for in-person instruction are in areas of Health and Wellness, Public Safety, and courses that require predominantly practical technical training or are approved to be safely offered in determined locations properly marked for social distancing.

College leadership continues to review and evaluate plans for socially distanced labs and other classrooms that would be approved for in-person courses. Those locations are being assessed and reviewed by the College’s COVID-19 Task Force and third-party safety consultants.

Fall registration is now open and students can begin registering for Fall 2020 classes. The courses that are now listed in the fall schedule as "online" are finalized and will not change. Students should continue to monitor their ConnectMail email accounts for important updates.

For questions about registration, complete the Get Answers form for a quick reply from our ConnectCenter. To submit questions or feedback to the COVID-19 task force, email covid19@durhamtech.edu.