At Schoolcraft, every new semester brings more opportunities to better oneself and to explore passions without the high, expensive stakes associated with 4-year institutions. In fact, trying something new and exciting is more than supported in the Ocelot den as observed from our slogan “Welcome to Schoolcraft. Welcome to College.” This is idea is more than clear from the recently launched fall classes that consist of BIOL 107 (Introduction to Microbiology), COMA 105 (Introduction to Communication Studies), COMA 240 (Intercultural Communication), ENG 120 (Introduction to Literary Studies), MUSIC 160 (World Music) and PSYCH 259 (Sports Psychology) to name a few.

“As a community college, Schoolcraft is decentralized. This means that we don’t have to follow the example of other institutions, but we do have to meet similar state mandates,” states Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dr. Michele Kelly. “As such, we had to evaluate and modify 12 disciplines to ensure our courses transfer accordingly.”

Each of these classes were created to meet the requirements of Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA), so that the credits would apply to virtually any college that Schoolcraft alumni choose to attend. This was especially significant for the Communication Arts courses because it creates a total of 5 classes that are universally applicable for a bachelor’s in communication. Other added courses like BIO 107, which does not consist of a lab, was created for students who needed a less intensive biology class or simply had a personal interest in the subject to still learn fundamental topics.

“This is one of the most important benefits for students when they take these classes. Other added bonuses include that they transfer and provide an exploratory experience at a cheaper rate and with less risk should the student decided that the particular field is not a good fit,” Kelly commented.

There’s still a tremendous amount of potential for each course since they are at the beginning, operational stage. Kelly expects that as students become more aware of the opportunity and as demand increases that they will transition from remote to other modalities, including online and on campus. However, the college has discovered the remote learning format to be convenient and helpful for students unable to visit the main campus, especially for World Language classes.

“Most of the new offerings are offered in the remote setting due to the COVID-19 situation. However, the COMA courses are expected to be great candidates for online courses since they focus on the theory of communication rather than solely public speaking,” Kelly explained. “Our on campus and online candidates will take time to develop and meet our standards, but their waiting lists will be monitored closely to gage the demand. For now, students can expect them to be offered at a reduced capacity similar to the fall semester’s courses.”

There’s no need to fear, Ocelots. Get out there and try something new with this fresh variety of classes.

For the full list of new course options, visit: schoolcraft.edu/academics/widgets/term-schedule/2020/Fall/All/New.

For more information, please visit schoolcraft.edu/college-news/2020/06/29/ to learn more about these courses.

Photo courtesy of Schoolcraft College