ALLEGANY COLLEGE OF MARYLAND UNVEILS PLANS FOR FALL LEARNING
CUMBERLAND, Md. (June 12, 2020) – Allegany College of Maryland is gradually returning to full on-site operations with the reopening of its offices and buildings to the public.
On Monday, June 15, the college will systematically welcome more faculty and staff back to its campuses and education sites. ACM will continue to offer phone and virtual appointments with students through platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams or GoToMeeting. Beginning on Monday, June 22, visitors are welcome on campus. Appointments (virtual and in-person) are strongly encouraged but not required.
ACM is reducing classroom density, and offering several options for taking fall courses, including face-to-face instruction, face-to-face alternating schedule, online courses, blended or hybrid courses, flex courses, and distance learning or telecourses. Additionally, the college is promoting and instituting measures that reduce the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus – the wearing of face masks or face coverings, proper hand hygiene, social distancing measures, intensive cleaning and sanitation, and self-monitoring of symptoms, among others.
“As a small college, we’ve adapted quickly to the challenges of the past semester, and we’re moving forward with new technologies that enhance in-person and remote learning, and deepen the connections that we have with our students and, perhaps more importantly, the connections they have with one another,” said ACM President Dr. Cynthia Bambara.
Fall semester courses begin on Monday, August 24, and delayed start courses begin on Tuesday, September 15. There are no plans at this time to shorten the semester.
For small classes, labs and clinicals, ACM will offer F2F or face-to-face-instruction on campus. New this semester, ACM will debut F2FA – a face-to-face alternating schedule course that is livestreamed during its scheduled class period in which half of the class attends in-person on campus while the other half watches the class live from their residences, and the students rotate for next class period. ACM will offer online classes in which the majority of course activity is conducted online while exams may take place in-person. Blended or hybrid courses will be conducted F2F with a portion of required activities facilitated online to reinforce, complement and augment classroom instruction. The college will continue to offer flex courses which are courses where students choose among three ways to learn –face-to-face in a traditional classroom, live broadcasts of classroom sessions, or recordings of classroom sessions. Additionally, ACM will provide distance learning or telecourses in which courses are offered simultaneously at multiple campus sites through the college’s distance learning system.
The College Library, a resource popular with community members, will open to the public on Monday, June 22 with summer hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students and patrons will be required to sign in and out of the library, wear face masks and practice social distancing. Access to some resources may be unavailable.
To reach the Genealogical Society of Allegany County within the ACM College Library, individuals are asked to call 301-777-8850 to confirm their availability.
Metz Catering will resume food service at the start of the fall semester, and Willowbrook Woods, ACM’s on-campus student housing, will reopen in August with modified housing density.
To set up in-person appointments, individuals are asked to call or email their intended individual or department. Contact information is available by searching the college’s website.
Future and current students and visitors with general questions about the college, fall enrollment steps, course delivery options, and safety measures and accommodations may call 301-784-5000 or email for assistance.
