BATTLE CREEK, MI (WTVB) – Kellogg Community College has announced it will convert most of its face-to-face coursework to an online-only format for the remainder of the fall semester which ends December 18 as a way to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 while case numbers and positive infection rates increase in the area.
Campus buildings will remain open for students and employees in Albion, Battle Creek, Coldwater and Hastings but the vast majority of classes will now be delivered fully online as a way to reduce the number of people who are interacting with others on a KCC campus at any given time.
Most of the fall semester classes at KCC have been online.
Classes with face-to-face components that can’t be delivered online will continue with other mitigation measures still in place.
All of the KCC campuses were shut down because of the pandemic from the middle of March through June.
KCC began its fall semester on August 31 with a mix of online, face-to-face and hybrid courses while implementing strict COVID-19 measures.
The College is taking the additional step this week as case counts have risen across Barry, Branch and Calhoun counties and as the presence of confirmed cases on KCC campuses has also risen.
As of September 29, there had been a total of five students and employees who were present on a KCC campus while positive and another 13 who were self-reported or confirmed positive but not on a KCC campus. As of October 1, the seven-day positive test rates had risen to 6.1% in Calhoun County, 4.2% in Branch County and 3.2% in Barry County, according to State of Michigan data at mistartmap.info.
Access at all five KCC campuses remains available for students who need in-person or remote assistance.
KCC’s Lifelong Learning classes, which are mostly one-time sessions in small-group settings with facial covering and social distancing measures in place, will continue as scheduled.
