Sinclair Resumes Classes by Transitioning to Online Instruction in Response to COVID-19
More than 90% of courses have been converted to remote delivery
Sinclair was recently ranked among the best online programs in the nation
DAYTON, OH – In response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, Sinclair will transition to only online classes and distance learning modalities, starting Monday, March 23, 2020. More than 90% of courses have been converted to remote delivery and students have access to a wealth of online services available to them now.
The types of traditional courses that have been converted to remote instruction include several nursing and liberal arts programs, including music lessons, that are going to be taught using Zoom, a widely popular web-based video conferencing tool. Sinclair instructors have also video-taped labs and lectures that will be delivered to students.
All Sinclair campuses will be closed to the public for in-person services starting on Monday, March 23rd. Though Sinclair facilities are not open to the public, the college will continue a “skeleton crew” mode, allowing Sinclair faculty and staff who need access to the facilities for purposes of business continuity to do so during normal business hours, following strict social distancing guidelines.
Earlier this month, in an effort to reduce in-person interaction and to increase the Governor’s recommendations for social distancing, Sinclair implemented immediate measures with respect to academic instruction. On March 10, 2020, the college announced a special break for students from all classes (both traditional and online) starting March 11, 2020 through March 23, 2020.
The transition period was used to convert face-to-face courses to instruction delivered through online platforms.
Dr. Steve Johnson, President of Sinclair College, said, “More than 500 of our faculty and staff have been working around the clock to make this transition happen. We’ve been able to convert a remarkable number of over 2000 courses because of this extremely talented and dedicated group of people. Our staff and faculty were also able to respond to this change in such an agile manner because of our already existing nationally ranked online programs. What we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period is outstanding and I am extremely proud of our faculty and staff.”
“We also want to remind our students that we will do our best to continually assess and re-adjust our programs ensuring that we meet the needs of our students. Every department in this college, in the area of instruction or student service, is committed to customer service, whether that be virtual, over the phone or email. The leadership team at Sinclair have been working together for around the clock, every day, over the past few weeks, following directives from the Governor, national, state and local leaders. Our goal is to help “flatten the curve” and keep our students safe while also allowing them to move forward with their education. These are difficult times and all of us at Sinclair are prepared to do whatever it takes to get through this.”
Making this shift to no in-person services will allow Sinclair to contribute to slowing the spread. The college will continue to work to implement in-person services with the appropriate physical distancing at a future date.
Sinclair serves nearly 30,000 students and recently scored No.12 among the top 60 best online community college programs nation-wide. The study based the ranking on program strength, online readiness (colleges with more experience and success teaching classes online score higher), return on investment, cost and student engagement.
Sinclair is recognized as a local and national leader in delivering high-quality and affordable higher education. One of the oldest and best-known community colleges in the nation, Sinclair was founded in 1887 by David A. Sinclair and is a board member of the prestigious League for Innovation in the Community College.
Sinclair offers more than 260 accredited degrees and certificates. For more information, contact Deena John at 937-272-8208 or deena.john@sinclair.edu.
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