LITTLETON, Colo. (KDVR) — As community colleges prepare for fall semester, two local community colleges said enrollment numbers are down as parents try to navigate changes in K-12 education.
As of Wednesday morning, Arapahoe Community College’s enrollment was down 4 percent from this time last year. On Monday, Community College of Aurora said its enrollment was down 15 percent compared to the same day the year before. Both community colleges said many of their students are parents, impacted by changes to K-12 education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a challenge for sure because you want to do what’s best for your child so it could be that you sacrifice progress toward your own degree for a while to help them. We understand that. That’s why we are trying to offer as many options for our students to take courses remotely in different modes so they can take what’s best for them,” said Dr. Diana Doyle, President of Arapahoe Community College.
Both colleges are looking to add more online courses that allow students to complete the course at their own pace, allowing them to work it into their own schedule.
“We are seeing a higher demand for students in 100 percent online that don’t have a scheduled date and time they have to be present,” said Tricia Johnson, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Community College of Aurora.
Johnson said her school is exploring other ways it can meet students needs as well.
“This is a different time for education in general. Community colleges are so used to being the go-to and any time we start to see challenges in the economy, our enrollment spikes up and what we are seeing is that’s not happening with this pandemic,” said Johnson. “How do we need to change? How do we need to evolve into what the students and the workers of today need and we can’t just continue to do it in the way we have done it in the past.”
Both colleges will conduct many of their classes online this fall. However, some degrees like diesel power mechanic and Emergency Medical Technician require hands-on experience and students will come to campus for those courses.
For students who will attend classes in person, both schools have implemented safety measures to keep students and staff safe.
“We have said no room can have more than 50 percent of its capacity. So what we have looked at is splitting the classes between two different classrooms and the instructor goes back and forth to facilitate the learning during that time,” said Johnson.
While students on campus will see some changes, they’ll also see some new faces. Under the CARES Act, Arapahoe Community College and Community College of Aurora received grants to help people who lost their jobs during COVID-19 retrain in a new field.
“We are excited about that and we are seeing more students enroll with us to be able to take advantage of that opportunity,” said Dr. Doyle.
Classes at Arapahoe Community College and Community College of Aurora begin on Monday. Those interested in enrolling still have time to register.