The COVID-19 pandemic forced Augusta University to plunge students and faculty into near full-time virtual learning, and officials with the university say they are now prepared to expand virtual learning for both bachelors and some masters programs.
In his recent state of the university address, Augusta University President Brooks Keel outlined his vision of swelling enrollment at the university to 16,000 by the year 2030. Keel said in the speech that one pathway to that goal is virtual learning.
Provost Neil MacKinnon said he was chosen for his position partly because of his experience in instituting virtual learning while he was dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.
“Prior to the pandemic, out of a student body of 47,000, we had 7,000 students who were learning online,” he said.
According to MacKinnon, because of the pandemic, the AU faculty had to learn some new tricks to practice their classroom teaching skills in the virtual realm. He said that most faculty members successfully made that transition.
However, don’t expect Allgood Hall and University Hall to be shuttered any time in the future. MacKinnon said the university will rely on instructional designers to adapt classroom learning into the 21st century, but that means students will have a choice between campus classes, hybrid classes or full time classes online.
“Certainly there are some classes that simply cannot be taught online. What we are doing is giving people more flexibility,” he said. “Some of our older prospective students who may have children or work full time will have the flexibility to pursue a college career.”
Georgia Tech and Valdosta State University have already made a successful transition, along with his previous employer, according to MacKinnon. Offering more online classes will expand the university’s reach, allowing students from all over the nation or even the world to attend, MacKinnon added.
At the University of Cincinnati, MacKinnon said even the masters program of cosmetic science, which is a track for students wanting a career in developing cosmetic products, successfully made the online transition, even though many of the classes involve the use of the student’s nose.
“The students need to be able to smell and compare various fragrances, so the fragrances are placed on scratch and sniff cards and sent to them,” he said. “It has worked out quite well.”
The university has already taken the first steps in implementing Keel’s virtual vision. The mastermind of the online program at University of Cincinnati, Jason Lemon, has been hired as a consultant and is expected to deliver a report to the president in June.
“Dr. Lemon is helping us implement the National Quality Matters Standards, and we are looking forward to his report,” MacKinnon said.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
