Three years ago, community colleges switched to
emergency online learning
to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic — and so far the system has stuck around.
Before the nine-member Los Angeles Community College District went fully remote in March 2020, about 1 in every 5 students already had online classes.
“We’re returning to that more normal, in-person environment, but we’re not quite there yet,” said Francisco Rodriguez, LACCD’s chancellor. “We’re about 50% online or hybrid and 50% in-person and working our way toward an environment that will be more in-person.”
According to pre-pandemic
studies
, students in online community college programs
did worse than students taking in-person classes
. Some researchers have chalked this up to the composition of online classes, where students tended to be studying part-time with jobs and families. As one researcher
told Hechinger Report
, “We would expect a part-time student with other obligations to perform less well.”
That … describes a lot of community college students — students who are resuming their academic journeys, often later in life than a traditional four-year university student, while balancing jobs and families.
LACCD has many unique needs, serving more student parents and working students than most districts, which widens the appeal to offer online education to meet their schedules. But with many students reporting they just don’t learn as well online, Rodriguez says the future holds a balance.
“The percentage of it, the propensity of it, and types of programs that will be afforded through online…
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