This content was published: June 29, 2020. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC’s Community Education Program enters new online world for classes
By Mike Phillips
Like with all classes and support services, Portland Community College’s Community Education Program courses have entered a new virtual reality.
To continue to serve students who are looking for fun activities or new skills to better their lives, Community Ed has redesigned classes for remote learning and acquired technology to enhance online access. In addition, it has enlisted additional staff to help prospective students acquire familiarity with the new remote technology before courses begin.
Explore Community Ed
PCC’s Community Ed Program offers hundreds of non-credit and Continuing Education classes each term and enrolls more than 25,000 non-credit students each year.
“Staying connected and building community is more important than ever,” said Interim Community Education Director Leslie Mestman. “Learning a new skill, socializing with others, and taking a class for your personal enrichment can help you stay healthy and maintain a positive outlook, while practicing safe social
distancing.”
Remote Support
Community Ed is adapting more than 200 of its in-person classes to a remote format for summer term. These classes will be clearly identified as “CED Remote” in the class description. These classes are offered in addition to hundreds of online opportunities provided every term through the online course platform ed2go.com/portlandcc.
For prospective students who have not experienced online or remote learning, a customer care representative is available to answer questions and offer a live demonstration of this technology. Contact them at communityed@pcc.edu to schedule an appointment.
Classes for Quarantine
Cooking, art, movement, and meditation can have a positive impact on mental wellbeing and may help alleviate stress. The program has created dozens of new remote classes that empower students to nourish and exercise the mind, body, and brain from the comfort of their home. These courses include creative new options like “Pen and Paintbrush: Writing Inspired by Visual Art,” “Mindfulness in the Time of COVID,” “Backyard Photography,” as well as “Quick Meals With a Pressure Cooker.”
Summer Teen Classes
Community Ed offers summer programming for everyone in the family – including teens from 12 to 17 years old. These students can practice a variety of new skills in classes specially designed for their age range including computer game design and coding, rock guitar and Spanish.