• April 28, 2020

    Good Evening BCCC Faculty and Staff:

    We are in the midst of our sixth week of remote work and while everything is constantly changing, all of you have remained committed to the success of our students. Each day the cabinet continues to be fully engaged with the operations of BCCC, and we are in cross-communications with various state and federal agencies about the impact of COVID-19. With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, I wanted to share several important updates. Many of our peer colleges in Maryland have been similarly faced with changing dates for summer/fall registrations, commencement, and withdrawals, as well as requirements for clinicals, proctored exams and online teaching certification for faculty.

    Nursing Clinicals

    As many of you are aware, there have been several communications about simulations and whether such can be used to count toward the face-to-face, off site clinical hours. Dean Olden has been in communication with the Maryland Board of Nursing. Based on those communications, we now know that the simulations currently being used in student courses will count towards their face-to-face clinical hours. Faculty should contact the Dean of Health Sciences, Scott Olden, solden@bccc.edu or Dr. Liesl Jones, Vice President of Academic Affairs (VP AA), ljones@bccc.edu if they have any additional questions.

    Faculty Online Certification

    In March, as we transitioned to online instruction, faculty were all given training in Canvas. Some faculty had the Basics training and others the Advanced training which provided them with the skills to move their courses online. As the need to teach remotely has persisted, we are restating the importance and requirement of the Middle States Commission and of MHEC (COMAR title 13B.02.03) that faculty who teach online courses, must also receive certification. Therefore, faculty who are not yet certified to teach online, have been automatically enrolled in a course for certification. Please accept the Canvas invitation to begin the training if you have been automatically enrolled in this course. It is a modular course that takes approximately 20 hours to complete. More information will be forthcoming from the VP AA, Dr. Jones.

    Withdrawal Date

    The BCCC spring semester published withdrawal dates from courses have been extended. With the shift to online instruction we want to ensure that students can make the best decision about the completion of their courses. To that end, the last date for students to withdraw from any course(s) during the spring semester 2020 has been extended to May 9th. While the date has been extended, we are encouraging all students to continue with their courses and reach out for tutoring, advising, or meeting with their faculty if they need additional help.

    Proctored Exams

    A number of different programs and courses require that the exams be proctored, including final exams. The College has secured Lockdown Browser and Monitor software that allows exams in certain programs to be proctored. Faculty have received training and additional resources are available in Canvas. Students will download the applications and faculty, as always, will need to help guide them through the process so they are prepared to take their exams.

    Commencement

    Previously, I communicated that the disappointing decision was made to postpone our May 2020 Commencement ceremony. We are exploring many options for how best to celebrate our graduates and I am happy to share that in August, we will hold a virtual Commencement. More information will be shared about a date in August and the specifics for Commencement.

    Registration

    On April 20, summer registration opened for our students. Summer session 1 starts June 1 and the 5-week accelerated session will be online for lectures and we are, at best, hopeful that the labs and clinicals will be face-to-face. The 8-week session, which also begins June 1, will follow a hybrid format with the first 4 weeks online and the second 4 weeks face-to-face. Beginning July 7, the second summer session opens. The 5-week accelerated Summer 2 will run both face-to-face and online. The calendar for classes to begin in the fall and end in the spring is under review.

    Latest update from the Governor

    On Friday, April 24, The Governor’s Coronavirus Response Team shared its Roadmap to Recovery that outlines the milestones that need to be met and how the state will gradually reopen. For more information on the Roadmap, please visit: https://governor.maryland.gov/recovery/

    I will continue to share updates with you on a weekly basis or more frequently, if needed. Be sure to visit the following sites for the latest information from:

    I miss having everyone on Campus and hope to return and see you in-person soon. Stay well, engaged, and continue to stay close to home!

    Debra L. McCurdy, PhD
    President