Like every institute of higher learning in Northeast Ohio, Lakeland Community College was forced to improvise programming, extracurricular activities, meetings and overall campus operations due to the novel coronavirus.
Additionally, the pandemic had Gov. Mike DeWine impose an adapted way of life for Ohio residents in mid-March, culminating with “nonessential” business closures, stay-at-home orders, social distancing protocols and mandatory face masks.
And then there was more, according to Laura C. Barnard, executive vice president and provost at Lakeland, who said flexibility in semester scheduling and class formats served as the school’s biggest challenges.
Adapting education to COVID-19
“When Governor DeWine recommended that colleges and universities transition all classes to remote learning (in an effort) to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Lakeland had to move quickly,” Barnard said.
At that time, only about 25 percent of classes were offered online.
By delaying the resumption of in-person classes by one week after spring break, Lakeland faculty members were able to prepare their courses to be moved to remote learning and resume on March 21.
“We offered a mix of in-person and remote learning options for fall semester, too, but moved to fully remote learning mid-November for non-skills based classes when the number of cases in Lake County started to spike,” Barnard said. “Recognizing some students did not have access to the technology needed to resume their face-to-face courses in an online format, the college purchased 500 Chromebooks and distributed them to students to borrow free of charge.
“We know that not all students are comfortable with online learning, so we’ve been reaching out to students to see what they need and direct them to college resources that can help. We added a remote learning concierge program to coordinate assistance, ensuring students have the technology they need and the organizational and communication skills required to engage successfully in the virtual classroom.”
To further support student success and retention during the pandemic, Lakeland provides just-in-time behavioral interventions, including text and email “nudges” that encourage students to stay on track with their studies.
To help students adjust to remote learning, Lakeland has produced an in-house video series to help students interact with its online learning platform. The series, “Crash’s Camp for Remote Learning,” features the college’s wave mascot, Crash, throughout five short modules.
According to officials, the videos are designed to inform students what they need to know to navigate the uncharted waters of an online class. Topics include strategies for success, getting organized, tips from professors and students, and a review of resources available at Lakeland.
Campus continuity, converted
Other challenges for the school were ensuring continuity of operations and services by preparing and maintaining a safe campus environment, and adjusting staffing and services to include remote working when and where possible.
“The safety and well-being of our students and employees has been, and continues to be, our top priority,” said Cathy Bush, chief of staff and vice president for institutional development and effectiveness. “A tremendous amount of work was completed over the summer to provide a safe environment for our students to learn and employees to work.”
In addition to the required masks:
* Entrances and exits of buildings with multiple doors are marked as one-way
* Thermal no-touch body temperature scanners are installed at entrances and staffed by a monitor
* Hand sanitizer stations are located at entrances and high-traffic areas
* Classroom seating is placed six feet apart in support of social distancing. Where this distance requirement is not possible, such as labs, plexiglass partitions are in place to separate individuals
* High-touch surfaces are sanitized throughout the day, and individual room and area cleaning are conducted during closed hours
* Employees and students have access to cleaning products to wipe desks and counters as needed
* Frequently visited office areas and some instructional settings have plexiglass barriers
* Signage and visual cues indicate where to stand and wait for service
* Restrooms and elevators have limited occupancy
* Food consumption is limited to designated areas where the tables and chairs are spaced apart in a manner that reinforces social distancing. Facility monitors have been hired to provide frequent cleaning of high-touch items throughout the day
* Before coming to campus, all employees and students are asked to acknowledge a Lakeland Code of Personal Responsibility outlining what is expected of them when coming to campus.
“Everyone has been very cooperative and respectful about wearing masks, social distancing and following our safety guidelines, and reporting exposure or infection,” Bush said. “This allows us to perform institutional contact tracing and notification as necessary, thereby limiting the spread of the virus on campus. These safety measures are working to keep our campus community safe.”
Adjustments also included college employees transitioning to remote learning during the state’s stay-at-home order. Most employees are still working a portion of, if not the entire week, remotely to reduce the foot traffic on campus, Bush noted.
Lakeland’s National Junior College Athletic Association athletics schedules for spring 2020 and fall 2020 were also canceled.
Additionally, some services like the Teaching/Learning Center and Breakers cafeteria closed for long periods of time and reopened in scaled-back versions.
Lakeland also converted its new student orientation to a virtual format.
“Every department of the college was affected in some way in terms of having to adapt to conducting business virtually,” Bush said. “Numerous new processes and forms were created to replace in-person transactions while still serving students, visitors, and employees efficiently and effectively.”
While Lakeland was unable to hold its traditional commencement ceremony in May, the college honored 2020 graduates with a virtual social media celebration, a printed program, and advertisements placed in “The News-Herald” honoring its graduates and outstanding students.
All 2019-20 Lakeland and Holden University Center partner graduates will be invited to participate in the May 8, 2021, commencement ceremony. No format has yet been determined.
Regarding the forthcoming spring semester, the school expects to offer in-person classes at about 40 percent, an “especially important” step for skills-based programs like welding, for example.
Established campus safety measures, including physical distancing, frequent hand-washing, and reporting any possible exposure, will remain in place for the spring semester.
“We will continue to follow guidance from federal, state and local health experts and adapt as necessary to keep our campus community safe,” Bush said.
Helping the community
If there is anything positive to a take away from an international health crisis, it’s been the opportunity to step up and assist others, noted President Morris W. Beverage Jr.
“Throughout the pandemic, Lakeland has been working closely with local community organizations and foundations to help those in need,” he said.
Over the course of several months, Lakeland donated medical supplies, personal protective equipment, and food to local hospitals and nonprofits. In addition, Lake Health borrowed state-of-the-art hospital beds and respirators used for the college’s health training to help keep pace with increased hospitalizations.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank also held three drive-thru food distributions Lakeland’s campus over the summer. As a result, the partnership received a Local Heroes Community Impact Award from the Lake County Development Council.
Innovation in the face of adversity
Lakeland also facilitated the Lake County Elections Board by creating 15 plexiglass barriers in its HIVE makerspace, donating them in efforts to create separation between election officials and voters.
Further, Lakeland received an $85,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation to develop and pilot a virtual internship program aimed to train the next generation of employees to work remotely.
Another grant, totaling $75,000 from the KeyBank Foundation, used to launch the concierge program, was also received.
Lakeland’s financial aid office also distributed $1.5 million in CARES Act funding to students to offset their expenses related to the pandemic.
“We knew that our employees and students would rise to this challenge, but they’ve really demonstrated their resiliency,” Beverage said. “We’ve been innovative and creative in adapting to this crisis, from adjusting the academic calendar, to making our own barriers, to finding new ways to help students finish their studies.”
