Albany Tech to begin fall semester on Thursday

ALBANY — Albany Technical College will begin its fall semester with a mix of virtual and on-campus instruction and likely a decline in enrollment from a year ago due to the impact of COVID-19.

The college is expecting an enrollment of about 2,500 when classes begin on Thursday, down from 3,300 in fall 2019.

A number of students are parents of young children who will need care and guidance as they are at home doing school work online themselves, said Albany Tech President Anthony Parker.

Although all classroom instruction will be available online, students will have to do some laboratory work on campus.

“I can understand adult students putting their elementary school child’s needs first,” Parker said. “We know there are complicating factors. We’re in uncharted territory.”

Albany Tech plans to make the registration process as accommodating as possible for those who wish to enroll, he said. Students also will have two additional entry points into the fall semester on Sept. 10 and Oct. 19.

“By the time part two starts, a lot of people will have resolved some things,” Parker said.

The college has initiated coronavirus safety protocols following recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Georgia Department of Public Health as it re-opens the campus on a limited basis. Those protocols will be in place on the Albany campus and off-site instructional locations and include a health pre-screening process.

“Every lesson we can teach in an online format, we are teaching in an online format,” Parker said. For students who have laboratory work: “When they get to campus, they’ll have their temperature taken and be asked a few questions. It will be a lot different than driving onto campus and walking into a class.

“We’ve seen the worst of the COVID conditions in Dougherty County. We want to be as cautious as we can.”

Students also will wear face masks and practice social distancing while on campus to help prevent transmission of the novel coronavirus. Gatherings of more than 25 students are prohibited, and labs will open at 50 percent capacity.

Students’ laboratory experience will differ depending on the course of study.

Welding students wear welding masks and are spaced apart due to their work, for example, Parker said. The traditional auto instruction in which a teacher and several students peer under the hood together will not be part of instruction.

“(For) each program, we set a different set of protocols that will be slightly different,” Parker said. “It’s not a one-size fits all.”

To avoid congestion, laboratory hours will be extended as needed and may include adjusting class start times to begin at 7 a.m. for some students and end times at 10:30 p.m. Some programs such as nursing and commercial truck driving may include weekend instructional time.

Albany Tech will use its website, social media pages and email to keep students and staff abreast of any changes in campus operations. A complete guide to reopening is available at www.albanytech.edu/Campus-Reopening.

Special Photo: Albany Tech
File Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]