South Central Reporter

Kaskaskia College issued the following announcement on Mar. 25. 

Current and new students attending Kaskaskia College will see savings in their tuition and textbook costs, plus more face-to-face course options as the college expects to return to normal operations for its fall semester.

For the second straight year, Kaskaskia College is implementing a tuition freeze as enrollment begins for the 2021 summer and fall semesters. The cost per credit hour rate will remain at $152 as KC strives to remove potential financial barriers for continuing and prospective students due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We continue to strive to provide high-quality education and to remain incredibly affordable,” said Kaskaskia College President George Evans. “Now more than ever, we see the need to continue to keep tuition affordable for all of our populations.”

As area vaccination rates continue to improve and COVID-10 positivity rates have decreased, the college is looking to return to in-person learning for fall 2021. “Expanding in-person learning is in the best interests of our students, our community, and at the same time, we will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our faculty, staff, and students,” Evans said. “Many students say they prefer taking classes on campus, and businesses are needing graduates of our programs. This past year presented KC with many challenges; however, I’m proud to say we met those challenges head-on and are ready to move forward.”

Evans added the college will also continue to offer classes in online and hybrid formats for those students who are not yet comfortable returning to in-person learning.

Learning options for summer and fall courses include the following formats:

Face-to-Face: in-person, in-class learning. Most courses with lab or clinical components fall into this category.

Online: Classes conducted online via Canvas for students to work through course material with a KC faculty member.

Remote: Classes are held entirely remote at a dedicated time and day via Zoom. The percentage of time spent in class via remote and online independent learning will vary.

Blended: Classes will meet partially on KC’s main campus or education centers, plus partially online.

Flex Blended: Students and faculty will work together to choose to come to campus, stay home, watch a live stream, or watch a recorded class before the next class session.

*Not all formats will be available for every course.

As the college returned last fall, it adjusted class sizes and scheduled a regime of deep cleaning for each classroom following classes. The college set up a pre-screening checklist for each person to fill out before arriving on campus to display to college personnel when requested. These efforts worked as the college only experienced three cases of COVID-19 exposure on campus.

“As we moved to reopen last fall, we asked our students, our staff, and the public to trust us with their health and their safety, along with their educations,” said Evans. “And they did just that.”

All students will still complete the pre-screening form via the KC Connect app before visiting campus. Kaskaskia College is now enrolling students in more than 150 degree and certificate programs they offer. Get started at www.kaskaskia.edu or by calling 618-545-3000.

Original source can be found here.