Motlow State has announced its campuses will remain closed and classes will be online only.

The college, which has a campus in Smyrna, is still operating but has moved to online-only status. Classes will resume - again online only - March 23rd.

There are no campus-based student activities. Libraries are available online. Clinicals, internships, co-op, and apprenticeships do not meet. Campuses and buildings are closed to staff except for limited and essential functions.

FULL RELEASE

Motlow State announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, at 4:30 p.m., it is moving to Pandemic Alert Level III. Decreasing human-to-human exposure to, and preventing the spread of, the Covid-19 Coronavirus serves as the chief goal of the decision. The college must do all it can to protect the health and safety of the faculty and staff needed to ensure the progression of student academic success. Therefore, Motlow is compelled to observe state and national guidelines informed by organizations such as the Tennessee Department of Health, Center for Disease and Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

What does this mean for students?

The primary message for students is that the college is still operating but has moved to online-only status. Students are not allowed on campus. All campus buildings are closed to non-essential staff, and the student services that continue are now offered online as well.

How can students get help?

There are a variety of resources and staff available to students via teleconference, email, virtual meetings, new helpful webpages, and more-detailed instructions in D2L. Students can access Motlow libraries online. Students and families should watch social media, Motlow's homepage, and student email for useful tools, links, and checklists that will be published later this week.

When do classes start back at Motlow?

Classes will resume in an online-only format this Monday, March 23. All students will continue with their existing class schedule. Classes will continue to be taught with the original instructor of record. Students will log-on to D2L Monday morning, and classes will resume.

What is D2L?

D2L is short for Desire2Learn. It is a web-based gateway that connects students to the online version of their classes. D2L is where Motlow students learn about their assignments, listen/read lessons, communicate with classmates, and upload their classwork.

For status and information updates concerning the Coronavirus pandemic and Motlow, visit Motlow.com/Coronavirus.

LEVEL 3: Motlow campuses are closed. Classes meet online only beginning March 23. There are no campus-based student activities. Libraries are available online. Clinicals, internships, co-op, and apprenticeships do not meet. Campuses and buildings are closed to staff except for limited and essential functions.

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED

Motlow State Community College, which operates a campus in Smyrna, has announced it will extend Spring Break for students through Sunday, March 22 in response to the coronavirus.

Classes will resume in an online-only format beginning Monday, March 23, and continue online-only through Sunday, April 5, when an updated operational announcement will be made.

The extension of Motlow's Spring Break is for students only. Staff report to work in keeping with the instructions from their division leaders. The extension of Spring Break provides both students and the College the needed time to prepare for alternative delivery methods for classes and to deepen the availability of technologies needed to provide remote services should they be needed. The goal of this period is to ensure the well-being of staff, students, and faculty while supporting the academic mission of the institution during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic response.

Motlow has now sanitized its buildings with a Clorox 360 spray. It has also published an updated pandemic plan. The plan frames four distinct operational levels the college will observe and provides details on how those operational levels impact various stakeholders (see the levels listed below).

The move to extend Spring Break currently puts the College at a Level II operational stage. Throughout the pandemic response period, the operational status of the College will be posted on the homepage of Motlow's website (mscc.edu). The operational level icon that displays at the top of the College's home page will also link students to more detailed information about the college's pandemic status. Students are encouraged to take time to review the homepage and the linked coronavirus information page to familiarize themselves with the various stages. Students are also encouraged to take any measures they believe are needed to continue their academic plans online.

The move to return from an extended Spring Break at Level II operations comes with the decision to move to online-only classes through April 5. The current Level II operational status also includes the cancellation of all student extracurricular activities through the end of the month. The College would like to be explicit about the current announcement to operate at Level II status.

-- All classes will be held online from March 23 through April 5.

--All student activities are canceled through April 5.

--The current cancellation of student activities includes student travel.

Students should pay special attention to Level II operational status. Level II is adaptably defined to give Motlow flexibility in de-escalating its response. Motlow is currently observing the height of a Level II Operational Status, which is an online-only class delivery mode. It is important to note for the future that Level II may not always include online-only classes. The college could return to some labs, clinicals, and work-learning options.

Motlow's priorities are to honor the safety and well-being of its students and the employees who serve them. Student success and workforce development are the top priorities at Motlow. The College is pursuing a plan that supports student outcomes while we do our part to protect the local workforce by making an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Motlow has already been actively integrating new technologies that support its long-term vision. Those plans now help us as we temporarily shift to providing remote student support services and move solely to online instruction during this critical period.

The College has disinfected its facilities, trained staff in new tools, crafted communication resources, and developed a clear plan of action.