Coronavirus concerns force classes to go online

President Dena Maloney addresses concerns regarding the transitioning of in-person classes to online platforms at a town hall meeting on Thursday, March 12. El Camino College is joined by a dozen others in Los Angeles County that are moving classes online due to a rise in coronavirus cases in Los Angeles. Molly Cochran/The Union

El Camino College will move in-person classes to online platforms beginning Wednesday, March 18, following suit with a dozen other Los Angeles County community colleges responding to the growing threat of coronavirus cases in California.

Classes will be canceled from Friday, March 13 to Tuesday, March 17, allowing time for professors to move their lecture classes to Canvas, a course management system used by ECC faculty and students, according to a campus advisory.

Classes will remain online until Monday, April 20 and officials will reassess the situation and determine whether it is safe for in-person classes to resume. Exceptions to online classes may be made for labs that cannot be conducted online and must be conducted in-person.

Other colleges in LA County that have shifted to online classes includes Pasadena City College, Long Beach City College and Santa Monica College and all nine Los Angeles Community College District campuses, impacting more than 225,000 students across Los Angeles County.

All Los Angeles County campuses that have announced a transition to online classes effective by Wednesday March 18:

Pasadena City College

Santa Monica College

Long Beach City College

East Los Angeles College

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles Harbor College

Los Angeles Mission College

Los Angeles Pierce College

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College

Los Angeles Valley College

Los Angeles Southwest College

West Los Angeles College