AACC professors will decide on a class-by-class basis how snow days will affect class time this winter.

When inclement weather causes campus to close, professors will let their students know how they will make up class time with alternative assignments or Zoom meetings. 

Professors “will determine how they’re going to make up the instructional time,” Vice President for Learning Resources Management Melissa Beardmore said. “That piece is up to the faculty member, but the decision … whether the in-person classes are canceled or not, that’s a decision that I make with my team.”

During the height of COVID-19, students and faculty spent more time working and teaching remotely. Because they have experience conducting classes on Teams or Zoom, professors have the option of holding virtual classes instead of losing instruction time when the campus closes for a snow day.

“I think [there’s] sadness over, you know, what’s perceived as a loss of a snow day,” Beardmore said, but added, “I think this works fairly well.”

Gannon Anderson, a dual-enrolled student, said attending Zoom meetings on snow days should be optional.

“Maybe a teacher will have a Zoom meeting and you can go in for help,” Anderson said. “But there shouldn’t be anything, like, required to do that day.” 

Max Burkhardt, a second-year transfer studies student, said professors shouldn’t cancel a class if exams are approaching, “but, like, before exams and stuff, they should just cancel class.”

Communications professor April Copes said she does not plan to hold Zoom meetings on snow days but will post alternative online assignments. 

“I just have various versions of assignments so that if … we do have a snow day, then we can just do a version of what was planned for that day in an online assignment,” Copes said. 

The college sends text alerts to students, faculty and staff when the college closes or delays the opening time.