{"id":23823,"date":"2021-08-05T18:42:22","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T22:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2021\/08\/05\/pandemic-fast-forwarded-online-learning-at-necc\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:22:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:22:28","slug":"pandemic-fast-forwarded-online-learning-at-necc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2021\/08\/05\/pandemic-fast-forwarded-online-learning-at-necc\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandemic \u201cFast-forwarded\u201d Online Learning at NECC"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Engineering Professor Doug Leaffer transitioned two engineering courses to online delivery during the pandemic.<\/p><\/div>\n

Haverhill and Lawrence, MA (Aug. 5, 2021)-If there\u2019s a silver lining to the COVID pandemic, it might be that online programs and support services at colleges are now stronger than ever. And that\u2019s certainly the case at Northern Essex Community College.<\/p>\n

Since the spring of 2020, the college\u2019s Center for Instructional Technology (CIT) has helped faculty transition 300 courses to online delivery. During the same time frame, the Student and Academic Affairs teams have adapted all student services for remote delivery, including tutoring, academic and career advising, financial aid, registration, and student activities.<\/p>\n

In the fall, when faculty, staff, and students return to campus, they will discover more flexibility as the result of enhanced online options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken a misfortune and turned it into an opportunity,\u201d says Melba Acevedo, director of CIT. \u201cThe pandemic has fast-forwarded online learning at NECC by decades.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Accelerated Online Degree Programs<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While the college offered 11 programs that were 80% online pre-COVID, they primarily followed the traditional 15-week semester.<\/p>\n

New this fall are three fully online programs<\/a> in Business Transfer, Criminal Justice, and General Studies: Health Specialization, which feature accelerated 7 or 8 week courses, providing opportunities to earn a degree quickly, even if working full-time.<\/p>\n

In one semester, students can take four courses; two the first part of the semester and two the second part. By taking four courses each semester, along with courses during the summer and winter intersession, students can graduate in two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese programs are geared toward adults who are working but want a degree to get ahead,\u201d says Kelly Sullivan, the college\u2019s dean of business and professional studies. \u201cTaking just two courses at a time will allow students to focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cost to earn one of these online associate degrees is approximately $9,000 and whenever possible professors are using open educational resources<\/a>, which are free to students, rather than expensive textbooks.<\/p>\n

More Online Course Options<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Before the pandemic, some areas of the college, such as science and engineering, were reluctant to explore online delivery because faculty didn\u2019t believe an online experience would be comparable to face-to-face delivery, especially in courses with a lab component.<\/p>\n

Engineering<\/a> Professor Doug Leaffer admits that he was skeptical at first. \u201c\u201dInitially, I viewed online engineering course delivery as challenging. I wasn\u2019t convinced that students could make the transition from \u201cbenchtop\u201d learning in one of our instructor-led engineering labs to \u201cdesktop\u201d learning on their own computer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

After taking CIT\u2019s six-week online training module, \u201ciTeach\u201d, during the summer of 2020, Leaffer transitioned two engineering courses\u2014Engineering Physics 1 and Strength of Materials\u2014to online delivery. With COVID restrictions lifted, he will continue to offer the latter online, while the former will return to face-to-face because he thinks the lab component \u201cis ideally taught \u2018on the bench\u2019, with students teams conducting experiments, collecting data.\u201d<\/p>\n

With what he\u2019s learned about teaching online, he\u2019s also adding a new hybrid course this fall, Engineering Essentials & Design. If that\u2019s successful, he may continue with the hybrid option.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working with faculty like Doug whom we never had the opportunity to work with,\u201d says Acevedo. \u201cThey didn\u2019t see themselves teaching online, but having gone through this, they are taking the next step. They don\u2019t want to let go of what they learned, and are creating hybrid courses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students are More Open to Online Learning<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Taisha Madero, Human Service major, discovered she likes online learning during the pandemic.<\/p><\/div>\n

Like the faculty, some students are also discovering that they can be successful in online classes.<\/p>\n

Taisha Madero, a Human Services major<\/a> and the mother of three children, ages 7, 9, and 13, had taken online summer classes before COVID but she much preferred face-to-face courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t crazy about online courses but it grew on me during the pandemic,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

With a full-time job as an intake assistant for Community Action of Haverhill (MA) and her three children at home studying remotely, she appreciated the flexibility.<\/p>\n

She found it helpful when her professors shared videos and PowerPoint lectures, and appreciated occasional Zoom meetings with the professor and class.<\/p>\n

She will be taking her last two classes this fall, both online, and will earn her associate degree in December.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Prior to the pandemic, close to one third of students took at least one online course, usually combined with a schedule that included face-to-face courses. It was a way for Northern Essex\u2019s busy students\u2014a third of whom are working full-time\u2014to maximize their course load.<\/p>\n

During the fall 2020 semester and the spring 2021 semester, 90% of courses were taught online, and, in the fall of 2021, 25% will be taught online<\/a>. As COVID restrictions are lifted, the percentage of face-to-face courses will continue to grow.<\/p>\n

Still, the college anticipates that online learning will continue to be more popular than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that students and faculty have had experience with online delivery they know the ins and outs of it, how to successfully deliver a course and how to succeed as an online student,\u201d says Acevedo. \u201cI anticipate that there is going to be more demand for online. If we want to stay competitive, we need to watch the market and expand and innovate. That\u2019s what we\u2019re planning at Northern Essex.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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