JJC Students & Employees utilizing the remote opportunities
The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed a lot, and Joliet Junior College has also come under the effect. JJC had moved to only classes and services in late March. The JJC employees are providing support remotely while students are learning from home. Business operations began to change quickly as JJC entered its spring break and the coronavirus started to spread throughout the U.S.
In a short time of two weeks, more than 1,400 courses were shifted online due to college’s academics and information technology teams collaboration. Classes and services resumed March 29 in a remote capacity only. President Dr Judy Mitchell has acknowledged the family culture of JJC.
“I’ve been at this institution over 23 years. JJC is a close-knit family,” Mitchell recently shared in a video to the campus community. “They pull together in times of difficulties. We’re there to pull together, to band together, to identify ways to how can we make this work.” The JJC employees and students have come together to create creative ways to teach and learn.
The spring semester is concluding this week. A lot of valuable things are learned during this tough time. The summer semester starts on May 25. The lab component part was some of the more challenging classes to convert. Technology professor who teachers programmable logic controllers and robotics, Mary Sue Gurka said she had turned her living room into the lab and taught students through video conference.
“I’m really surprised at how interactive they’ve been,” said Gurka. “Students show up in their pajamas, their kids are running in and out, and they’re still really engaged. They wanna ask questions. They look forward to the meetings. I think they’re interacting with each other really well, too.”
