Santa Barbara City College announced Tuesday that a substantial majority of credit courses will be taught online in the fall semester.
The decision is based on recent guidance provided by the state of California, Santa Barbara County and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Luz Reyes-Martin, executive director of public affairs and communications at SBCC, said in a statement.
Recognizing some classes are difficult to teach online and many students find remote learning less than ideal, a limited number of courses will be offered in-person or in a hybrid format while maintaining appropriate safety and health protocols, Reyes-Martin said.
“It should be noted that courses scheduled for face-to-face or hybrid instruction will transition to an online format should public health restrictions be reimposed due to COVID-19,” Reyes-Martin said.
Face-to-face classes range from engineering and film production to math and chemistry, among others.
Click here to view a list of SBCC’s fall semester classes that will be held on campus.
All student services, including the Luria Library and the Cartwright Learning Resources Center on SBCC’s campus, will continue to be offered remotely for the summer and fall terms.
Fall semester classes start Aug. 24 at SBCC.
Reyes-Martin said in an email that “as a community college, we are ready to be an educational resource for our community.
“We have seen an increase in enrollment and interest in our classes, beginning with our summer sessions,” she continued. “This increase is the result of the intentional work the college has done, for years, to develop effective and high-quality online education.”
SBCC has made Chromebook laptops and mobile hotspots available for students who need them to be successful, Reyes-Martin said.
“With the onset of COVID-19, the college provided additional faculty support and training and invested in the technology needed to support a move to an online format for the vast majority of our classes,” she told Noozhawk.
As of Tuesday morning, UC Santa Barbara is working on plans for the fall quarter instruction, said Andrea Estrada, UCSB’s director of news and media relations.
No other details were available.
UCSB’s fall quarter begins Sept. 27, according to the academic calendar.
— Noozhawk staff writer Brooke Holland can be reached at bholland@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.