The Tower Fall 2020 - 11

emphasis on ensuring access to those who need them
most. In order to address the concern for equity in
learning opportunities, the College provides on campus
living for housing insecure students, loans laptops,
and provides internet hot spots for students needing
this technology. Through CARES funding, we added
supports to provide extra help to students for online
learning. Each stage of this crisis requires different
skills as we pivot to make incremental changes, while
remaining relevant to the College's mission. The segue
from the " Bricks and Mortar " learning environment to
distance education requires a new set of instructional
skills. The faculty have done an awesome job pivoting
to strengthening students' active learning through
distance education. The increased functionality
of our learning management system and other
applications such as Padlet, Twine, Moodle, Edmodo
and Blackboard, Zoom, Automation Simulator, CMH
Constructor 15, Festo LabVolt EMS Web Simulation,
and Microsoft Teams, create a variety of interactive
learning activities. Additionally, several instructors set
up home classrooms to project application instruction.
There is no doubt " Best Practices " in terms of distance
education have been developed. I am proud of our
faculty.
Moreover, this also requires students to develop a new
set of learning, study, and independent motivational
skills. The other challenge is many of our students work
full-time or part-time jobs. When they attend classes
on campus, this provides a more regimented structure
to keep them focused and on task. Only time will tell
if this new modality of learning translates to a positive
set of skills, to propel students to be actually more
successful in the workplace in the long run.

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And now, to our amazing student body. I am so proud
of the way they have handled the pandemic; being
responsible in practicing health and safety practices to
protect themselves and others. It may be hard for our
students to envision now, yet I am positive that these
trying times are going to enrich our students as future
community and business leaders.
In closing, I want to recognize the Electrical Technology
program for being named the winner of the national
" Excellence and Equity in Community College STEM
Award " by the Aspen Institute College Excellence
Program and the Siemens Foundation. This award
recognizes the Electrical program for its outstanding
preparation for high-demand jobs in advanced
manufacturing, energy, healthcare, or information
technology, and for its intentional outreach and
support of diverse populations that typically are
underrepresented in science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM) careers. Special recognition goes
out to faculty Jon Kramer, Fred Bube, Andrew Jacobs,
and Brian Kochan, along with Rene Alshouse and
Patricia Meley who work closely with program faculty
as advisors to the Electrical Technology students.
I also want to recognize Cheryl Lutz, Director of
Assessment and Accountability, who worked closely
with the Electrical Technology team to raise the
performance of the Electronic Technology program to
the attention of the Aspen program, resulting in this
national honor. 

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Fall 2020  11
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The Tower Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Tower Fall 2020
