March 12, 2020

COVID-19 Task Force Update

As outlined in Monday’s COVID-19 task force update, El Camino College is currently at Level 2 of its pandemic outbreak plan. This means there are confirmed COVID-19 cases within California, but no cases on campus or in our immediate community. To date, there are no known cases of COVID-19 at El Camino College or the immediate community. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 outbreak continues to expand rapidly. The safety and well-being of the El Camino College community is the first priority, and our pandemic outbreak plan is designed with the flexibility to adjust to changing conditions.

Accordingly, to facilitate social distancing by minimizing the number of students on campus, El Camino College will move from in-class to online instruction. All instructors have been asked to move their lecture classes online, effective immediately. To assist faculty as they make this transition,classes will be cancelled March 13-17. Using the Canvas course delivery software, instructors will move their sections online and begin teaching remotely. Some classes may also be conducted via teleconferencing.

Students in affected sections will be notified and should attend class online, not on campus. All lecture courses will be moved online by March 20, with remote instruction remaining in effect until at least April 20. This situation will then be reassessed over Spring Break, with further direction to follow. Exceptions will be made for certain courses, such as labs, that cannot be conducted online and must be taught on campus. Options are also being explored for students who don’t have ready access to laptops or broadband.

Again, students will receive notification and instructions from their instructors about courses moving to online delivery. Watch for ongoing updates from the COVID-19 task force via email and social media, as we continue to evaluate campus events and activities in accordance with changing conditions. Your flexibility and cooperation in this process are invaluable. Working together, we can ensure El Camino College continues to offer a quality education while also safeguarding the well-being of our campus community.

UPDATE:

TO CLARIFY: the request for instructors to move their lecture classes online is effective immediately. The cancellation of classes to allow faculty to make that transition begins tomorrow, March 13, and continues until March 17.