The beginning of previous fall
semesters at MC had its campuses
busy with lots of people, the
pandemic has changed things up
and now students and faculty
will be meeting each other
through computer screens.
If you were an MC student last
spring, you experienced some of
the transition and probably know
what to expect.
But if this is your first
semester at MC you might be
wondering where to begin.
I think the thing that the
students who are new to the
college need to understand first
is to start with Raptor Central.
Raptor Central is the opening
door to the College.
It is where students come to get
all the information that they
need.
It is our virtual welcome center
and when students are admitted
to the College, they receive a
letter that tells them all of
the steps that they need to take
in order to get tested, placed,
enrolled in classes.
Students who are new to
Montgomery College usually need
to have some kind of placement
testing before they can enroll.
They can go to the assessment
center online and all of the
placement testing is available
on that site.
There are three different ways
that classes are being offered.
They're being offered as
distance learning, which is
independent.
They're being offered as remote
learning, which is basically
replicating the classroom
experience, but online at a
particular time, in a particular
day.
And then there is the hybrid
option, which has students come
to campus on occasional days,
career-based classes where they
use specialized equipment like
automotive technology or
biotechnology or nursing.
Students in those hybrid classes
are going to be contacted by
their instructor with their
particular appointments to come
on to campus and to work on the
different equipment. MC
professors are getting ready for
the semester and they're
structuring their courses so
that their students can be
comfortable.
I'll primarily be using Zoom for
my class sessions.
That's what we used in the
Spring.
So I feel like most students are
comfortable with it.
So we'll just continue with the
same format. Since I teach
literature and journalism and
writing, I think for me what
will be key is making sure that
the students are engaged for the
whole class period.
I do have some group projects in
my classes and I will continue
to do those projects.
Through Zoom we can do breakout
sessions.
I can easily hop into each of
those breakout rooms so that I
can offer guidance to them as
well.
Now for those courses that
normally involve labs and
handling equipment, some
creative workarounds are in
place.
We are using a variety of
virtual technology in our
laboratory courses to replicate
the hands on experience that
students typically receive.
Many of our online labs are
using simulation based
activities and virtual reality
lab programs that allow students
to handle chemicals, work with
common lab equipment and even
design, and perform their own
experiments in a virtual
setting.
We have also integrated some
fundamental kitchen chemistry
activities that can be completed
at home.
Students will also have the
opportunity to engage in
capstone laboratory projects and
participate in active and
ongoing citizen science
projects.
Most students coming back to MC
will at least be familiar with
Blackboard.
My course blackboard site serves
as a central location where
students can go to communicate
with each other and with me to
access course resources to find
additional services such as
tutoring centers and writing
centers, as well as to engage
with supplemental material such
as video tutorials to help them
better master those course
concepts.
I'll be using Blackboard to give
my quizzes.
That's what I usually do in my
online classes, and that works
really well because they're
automated.
But for the larger assignments.
Since I teach English and
literature, it's mainly writing,
so they will continue to submit
their work through Blackboard.
I'll be holding office hours
virtually.
I did that in the Spring when we
shifted to remote and the
students were able to look at my
calendar and choose a slot.
I will definitely reach out to
my students beforehand, probably
two weeks before class starts,
just to give them some
information about how the class
will work, how to access
blackboard, how to access the
zoom link.
That way, everyone feels
comfortable and not confused on
that first day of class and will
know how to access all the
materials after the students
have set up their MyMC account
and registered for classes,
They'll need to go where it says
pay my bill, manage account and
pay their amount by August 12th.
Otherwise they could be locked
out of their courses.
It's important to know there is
no auto pay system.
Every student needs to do this
every semester.
Again, Raptor Central is a great
resource to find answers to
common questions.
The most important thing for
students, whether they are
returning students or they are
brand new students, is to ask
questions, look for help, use
the Raptor Central website and
the email addresses to ask
questions.
Check your Montgomery College.
Email, because that's the way
that your faculty member will
communicate with you.
Make sure that you have
Montgomery College email address
and that you contact your
instructor when you're ready to
start the class.
There's a whole army of people
out there waiting to help
students succeed, and you just
need to ask for the help.