On March 15, Northwest College closed its campus to the public in response to the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, preliminary figures showed more than 1,500 students taking classes at NWC during the spring semester. Many were aiming to graduate or transfer after the semester ended, and the pandemic was creating a lot of uncertainty for their futures.

However, by April 6 — just three weeks later — NWC instructors transferred almost all classroom instruction to online environments. Classes resumed as planned last week, with 99.5% of all classroom instruction conducted over the internet.

“It’s been surprising how well it’s going,” said Astrid Northrup, professor of engineering and mathematics.

Northrup is conducting classes from her home on the Willwood using a platform called Moodle. As chairperson of the physical science division, she’s overseen the transition for classes with a lot of lab work, including welding and chemistry. Despite the challenges, Northrup said it’s all come together.

“I don’t expect anyone in our departments to have any problem,” she said.

Greg Thomas, dean of student learning, explained at a NWC Board of Trustees meeting that the college was well-positioned to make the adjustment. Software systems were put in place prior to the pandemic to facilitate more services and instructions online, with the goal of providing better service to students and expanding distance learning offerings.

“I can’t imagine doing this a few years ago. Even doing a board meeting like this would have been impossible,” NWC President Stefani Hicswa said during the teleconference, held the same day classes resumed.

Speaking after the meeting, Thomas explained the college had been utilizing the Moodle software prior to the crisis as a means for instructors to upload documents and communicate with students. Moodle is open-source, which means there aren’t the licensing fees that go along with commercially developed software, but it requires more expertise to make it run properly. Casper College also uses the system, while the other five community colleges go with a commercial product.

Although NWC officials couldn’t have foreseen the pandemic, they did see increasing demand for online learning environments looming on the horizon, and as a result, they were better prepared to transition to distance learning in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The success of the transition could also make students across the Big Horn Basin much more open to online learning.

“If you live in Ten Sleep and you have a job and kids, you just can’t go to school in Laramie,” Northrup said.

At the board of trustees meeting, Board President Dusty Spomer mentioned his daughter, a high school junior, is taking classes at NWC and had no problem with the online format.

“It was seamless. That’s the word she used. It is pretty amazing,” Spomer said.

Trustee John Housel said he was impressed with how the college, in two weeks, moved 99.5% of its instruction online.

“I think considering the gravity of the situation, that is truly a remarkable statistic,” Housel said.

The initial closure extended spring break, but the college will not be extending the semester. It’s received approval for a shortened semester from federal agencies and the Higher Learning Commission, which provides NWC with its accreditation.

“It took a lot of work to condense the semester, but they [students] don’t need to make it up,” Hicswa said. “We want our students to finish online and on time.”

Like many federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Education has relaxed its rules amid the crisis, which has allowed higher learning institutions across the country to more easily get approval to move classes to online formats.

Of course, there are some limitations to what can be done online, such as welding practice.

Harold Elton, associate professor of welding, said they’ve had to cancel the practice sections of his classes as it requires equipment that students won’t individually have access to. They’ve been implementing other instructional learning in its place.

While it’s all a challenge, Elton said it’s the nature of the welding industry to contend with unknowns and adjust accordingly. So, in an odd way, it’s preparing students for the real world.

“You have to be flexible,” he said.

Northrup’s son, Ben, was an NWC welding student back in 2015. That year, welding practice classes had to move due to asbestos abatement work. They set up shop in a remote location and finished out the semester. Ben told his mother he learned as much from that experience as he did the classroom instruction.

“They’re the kind of people who get the job done no matter what,” Astrid Northrup said.

Thomas told the board that some tutoring, traditionally given in individual face-to-face sessions, was moving into an online format and available to students. Library staff have been scanning materials and directing students to digital offerings where possible, but the full library service could not be made entirely available online.

“Both of those things are kind of limited at this point in the game,” he said.

Shaman Quinn, financial aid and scholarships director, said the college will hold its Advising Day via teleconference today (Tuesday), for students planning to take classes in the summer. The college has planned 82% of summer classes to be conducted online; the rest can be moved online if necessary.

For now, the fall semester is expected to move back into face-to-face instruction.

“We’re hoping that we can return to a new normal by then,” Quinn told the board.