TSAILE, Ariz. – A college on the Navajo Nation plans to offer nearly all of its courses online this fall and says it is instituting safety and technology measures to help students succeed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Dine College officials said all but 10 of its planned 358 courses will be offered online and that its preparations include a $6.4 million technology upgrade and development of a laptop loan program.
College President Charles Roessel said in a recorded message to returning and prospective students that the pandemic shouldn’t be a barrier to education.
“This is a time of uncertainty, but it should not deter you from making a new future for you and your family,” Roessel said.
On-campus changes include new signage encouraging social distancing and installation of plexiglas in offices and classrooms to block transmission of COVID-19, Roessel said.
The technology upgrade includes expanded broadband capacity, with access points in parking lots.
Nearly 1,500 students, mostly Navajos, are enrolled at the school that has several campuses across the Navajo reservation, which includes parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some – especially older adults and people with existing health problems – it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
