By Kateri Montileaux, OLC GED Director
The Oglala Lakota College Community Continuing Education/GED department is slowly transitioning out of online-only programming as the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic lessen. Now more than one GED student at a time can be in the college centers, as long as there is still only one student and tutor per classroom.
Prior to this, students could only pick up and drop off homework by appointment, and only one person could be in the college center at a time. Classrooms were empty as students attended class online only. Now, with an increasing number of students becoming vaccinated, opening the classrooms to GED students has been advantageous. Students who didn’t have a computer or laptop and/or internet access at home are now able to use the computers to take the TABE and Locator placement tests or their Official Practice Tests.
Michaela Williams (left) and Kenton Romero (right)
Another plus is that with more classrooms open, those who want a quiet place to do homework or need one-on-one assistance are able to receive it on campus, as is usually the case when students work on the math section of the GED tests. The Community Continuing Education/GED department is a year-round GED learning and testing site, and many students work throughout the summer months to complete their GED so they will be able to enroll in college classes in the fall. With the classrooms being available, the department has seen an increase in new students for the first time since the pandemic began.
Donna Grosz (left) and Shanice Black Bear (right)
