If these past few months have done anything, they have required us all to reconsider how we’ll go about our daily lives when we return to ‘normal’.”

MCCCD Interim Chancellor Dr. Steven R. Gonzales

Glendale Community College
6000 W. Olive Ave.
Glendale, AZ
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Glendale Community College, 6000 W. Olive Ave., and the rest of the Maricopa Community Colleges are preparing multiple options for the upcoming Fall semester.

For the past several weeks, MCCCD has been working to prepare a variety of course delivery options for the fall, according to a May 11 MCCCD news release. As physical distancing requirements are lifted, the Maricopa Community Colleges and its district office will plan to return from remote environments by the time the fall semester begins in August.

“Our community is understandably concerned and uncertain about the future and how our lives will look in the months ahead. If these past few months have done anything, they have required us all to reconsider how we’ll go about our daily lives when we return to ‘normal’,” Interim Chancellor Dr. Steven R. Gonzales stated.

“Many college students, whether they’re at a university or community college, are wrestling with the idea of returning to college in the fall with reports of COVID-19 potentially coming back as well as the financial impact the virus has had. We also know that many in our community are experiencing hardships because they’ve lost their job or a family member has lost theirs. These families are undoubtedly uneasy about what tomorrow will bring. These concerns are very real and are at the heart of every discussion I am having with college presidents and leadership teams on a daily basis.”

While the system is optimistic that in-person classes will be an option when the fall semester begins, MCCCD is also planning for all possible scenarios in an effort to bring students back with confidence. Given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, the Maricopa Community Colleges will offer a variety of learning options.

“We’ve designed every possible delivery method for anyone interested in taking a course, upskilling with a new certificate, and we’re redesigning how we deliver our programs to expedite returning Arizonans to the workforce,” Dr. Gonzales stated. “We are committed to finding every possible solution to serve this community in whatever way meets their needs. The truth is, no one knows how long these disruptions to higher education might last. But, we are preparing and ready for every possible scenario.”

Class delivery methods have been created with flexibility in mind and will be designed in five ways:

• Face-to-Face: Class times will be listed in the schedule and will be held on campus. Based on the state’s response to COVID-19, these courses may shift to online or hybrid/virtual.
• Live Online: Classes will meet at the time listed in the class schedule on a virtual platform. Students would attend live online classes at the same time as their classmates, just as they would on campus.
• Hybrid: Part of the class will be held online without a set time to attend. The other part will occur in a face-to-face format on campus at the time listed in the class schedule. If on-campus instruction is not yet allowed by fall, then in-person instruction will switch to online using a virtual platform.
• Hybrid/Virtual: Part of the class will be held online without a set time to attend. The other part will occur at the time listed in the class schedule, either in a face-to-face format on campus or in a virtual format using a virtual platform, depending on the state’s response to COVID-19.
• Online: The entire class will be held online without a set time to attend.

“It will take a tremendous team effort to prepare 10 colleges, the district offices, and thousands of students for the transition back to campuses and classrooms,” Dr. Gonzales stated. “No matter what the fall looks like, we’re ready.”

Visit www.maricopa.edu/coronavirus-covid-19.