HLSCC extends Spring Break period; college prepares online learning measures

The H Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) has issued a notice asking all students to remain off-campus until otherwise advised.

The notice was published on their Facebook page on Friday, March 13.

It said the college will be extending their Spring Break period until March 23 to give the administration more time to finalise preparations for full online delivery.

While it was not made clear if the decision to extend the break to facilitate online classes was due to the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in the region, the institution said they have been monitoring the developments of the pandemic closely.

“We remain on alert and in daily correspondence with health authorities regarding prevention and preparation plans,” the institution said.

“HLSCC is one of the best positioned institutions of learning to continue operations with our various implements for digital education and we intend to see out the remainder of the academic year utilizing whatever measures are appropriate for the conditions,” the notice added.

Remote learning not new to college 

Meanwhile, Acting President of HLSCC Dr Richard Georges, told BVI News that the college has the expertise, the applications and resources to conduct online classes at much larger scale.

He said while for the general public it may appear to be a new feature at the college, that is not the case, as the college has already begun the process of remote learning.

“We already deliver classes via blended learning and we actually have a number of classes that we are being prepared to run fully online in the fall. We’ve ran sessions online before so it is not that we are doing anything new, but we have not done it at this scale that we are considering,” Dr. Georges stated.

“All of our learning platforms, all of our textbooks, all of our instructions are all digital at this point so it is not a massive transition for us, it is just that we need some time to make sure that our faculty are ready to go,” he further explained.

In the meantime, all faculty staff will still be required to report to work on March 16 to facilitate the preparation process.