Out of an abundance of caution, MDC is immediately closing Medical Campus, after a visitor who attended a recent, non-MDC event there has tested positive for COVID-19. MDC is consulting with local health officials regarding any additional actions.
MDC has also canceled all events college-wide until further notice based on recommendations from the Florida Governor. Classes at other campuses continue as regularly scheduled.
To be clear, the State University System’s directive to universities to immediately convert to online instruction does not include state colleges. Per the Florida Commissioner of Education, the COVID-19 risk to students and employees at our State Colleges and K-12 institutions remains low. Upon the recommendation of the Florida Department of Education, Miami Dade College and the other 27 state colleges remain open. We have taken several precautions which we have communicated to the college community via email, social media and on our dedicated website, www.mdc.edu/coronavirus. In the event the status of MDC classes and operations changes, we will immediately communicate it to employees and students, and will provide instructions for the continuation of the spring semester through alternative instructional methods, including online. We appreciate the patience and understanding of all students and employees. Their safety remains our top priority.
We are implementing proactive steps to assist you in the event we need to make courses available online for individual students or course sections. If you are not already using the BlackBoard Learning Management System, CIOL has a one-hour introductory webinar available for you to familiarize yourself with the system.
This Blackboard training session is designed for faculty who have no experience using a Learning Management System (LMS). It will cover the basics of using Blackboard as an instructor such as uploading the syllabus, accessing the class roster, and communicating with students using the e-mail and announcement tools in Blackboard.
The College is actively monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) is activated. As District Incident Commander for our Emergency Operations Center (EOC), I assure you that the College is taking the emerging situation seriously and communicating regularly with federal and state officials. The EOC is charged with developing a centralized, coordinated response that takes into account federal, state, and local health authority guidelines, as well as the safety, security and needs of our students and employees.
Miami Dade College (MDC) continues closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and is coordinating efforts with the appropriate local and state authorities in alignment with other educational institutions in the region. At this time, Miami-Dade County has not issued a state of emergency in connection with COVID-19. The Florida Department of Health is coordinating the public health response which includes providing updated information and guidance to the College and others.