Some Lifelong Learning courses will return to an in-person format this school year. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Aug. 26, Shepherd University’s Lifelong Learning program held its fall course preview event in-person at the Robert C. Byrd Center and on Zoom.

The event marked the beginning of the Lifelong Learning’s 10th anniversary year, according to Director of Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning Karen Rice.

“Thank you all for coming, both here and on Zoom. It’s so exciting to see so many of you here!” Rice said. “It’s a brave world we’re navigating right now, but we’re trying to get through it and we’ll make the best of it!

“This is our 10th year and we’re very excited to be celebrating 10 years of Lifelong Learning,” Rice said.

While last year’s Lifelong Learning courses tended to follow a Zoom-based model, due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of this year’s courses will be adopting a hybrid format. Based on their individual ability to conform to varying changes in social distancing guidelines, courses may be moved between in-person and Zoom formats.

“COVID-19 did not deter us from holding classes this year; we continued to work through it by Zooming our classes and lectures,” Rice wrote in the forward to the fall 2021 course catalogue. “As we begin to come out of the pandemic and things begin to open and look normal again, we look forward to having students meet in-person. Shepherd has lifted the mask mandate for all those who are vaccinated. People who have not received a vaccination must still wear a mask on campus in all buildings. Since the pandemic continues to be an evolving situation, we ask that you review Shepherd’s current COVID-19 policies.

“As we prepare for in-person courses and lectures, we are also mindful of those who may be some distance from or not able to come to campus. Or perhaps you don’t want to deal with parking on campus. Whatever the reason, we have purchased Meeting Owl Pro cameras for a hybrid experience,” Rice said. “These are state-of-the-art cameras that provide a panoramic view of everyone in the classroom and also feature the lecturer, as well as those who are Zooming. It . . . will help us to facilitate classes wherever you may be.”

As coronavirus cases are currently rising, this new technology may prove to be a boon for the program.

For returning instructor of “Deep Dives Using Podcasts” Marty Amerikaner, the hybrid experience already had to be changed to a Zoom-only one, during the preview event.

“We did this course twice last year through Lifelong Learning. I think it worked well as a Zoom class,” Amerikaner said. “In the catalogue, it says it’s a mix of Zoom and in-person, but I’m going to make it solely on Zoom, since I’m concerned with the continuing presence and growth of the virus, but also it works very well on Zoom.”

Others, like “Tough Conversations: How to Speak to Others With Dignity and Disparity” instructor and current Emery University doctoral candidate Stark Harbour, still hope to safely incorporate the hybrid format into their course.

“It’s such a pleasure to be back at Shepherd and to be among all of you again!” Harbour said, mentioning he developed his course while pursuing his master’s degree at the University of North Carolina. “The topics we’ll explore are race, gender, religion, politics and disability. The point of the class is for you to have conversations with those who may disagree with your viewpoint. Because of the nature of the class, I’m taking every precaution to make sure nobody is recorded, so that everybody who comes, comes to learn, not to cause problems.”

To learn more about the Lifelong Learning program, visit https://www.shepherd.edu/lifelonglearning or call Rice at 304-876-5135. The fall semester begins on Sept. 13.