While many students choose to immerse themselves in 15-credit-hour semesters, some opt for a shorter option.
In fact, many departments offer three-week classes for three credit hours during the Spring, Fall and Summer Semesters.
Classes with flexible schedules are available to students who don’t have time for a full semester or just prefer to get a class quickly out of the way. Not all classes offer these flexible schedules, but there are some for students who look for them.
These types of classes usually last about three weeks and students can receive the same number of credits as a full-semester class.
Herman Peine, instructor in the Educational Psychology Department, has been teaching the weekend format-Friday nights and all day Saturdays-for about 20 years.
“Students seem to like these shorter, more flexible classes,” he said.
While the classes are more flexible, they’re not necessarily shorter, just more compact. These classes comprise the same number of hours as a normal semester; they’re just squeezed into a shorter timeframe.
Students who work or just don’t have the time to take a full- semester class often benefit from this kind of schedule.
“A lot of my students are teachers or professionals,” Peine said.
But he also sees regular students who just want to get it done and over with in a shorter period of time, he said.
Peine said his classes are really intense, totally immersed workshop experiences, but the feedback he’s received has been excellent. After class time is over, students have all semester to get the homework done.
“I like the flexibility and homework schedule,” said Debra Blackwing, a senior in International Relations who has taken one of Peine’s classes.
Many different departments offer these special courses, so if a student is interested, they should search for them while registering for classes.
“I work, have kids and I’m in school,” Blackwing said. “I wish I could take all my classes like that.”