New Seven-Week Courses Ultimately Benefit Students

These new seven-week accelerated courses are a great way to help students get ahead in their education or catch up on their DegreeWorks. Photo Credit/ Natalie Irula, Screengrab via MyESU Schedule Planner

Adrianna Wolf

Copy Editor

Finally, ESU has added more seven-week long courses for the Spring 2022 semester, all of which will take place online.

ESU’s intention was to accommodate non-traditional students who struggle to complete the regular course work.

Attending classes and working has always been difficult for college students. I know I have always had trouble finding balance between work, school, social life, and family.

I work full time and attend classes at ESU full time. Finding ways to make that schedule work is more than horrendous. To make it even more complicated, I commute.

That is why I was excited to hear about the seven-week courses that are being offered.

My one complaint about ESU has always been the lack of options when it comes to course selections. I transferred from a community college where all kinds of classes were offered in a variety of formats.

However, I have not had that option at ESU. Most courses only offer one time slot with no other options available. This makes it difficult for non-traditional students to attend classes while committing to other responsibilities.

I think many colleges are struggling with the issue of class offerings due to staffing issues. This is unfortunate for students who need specific classes to graduate, leaving them in a tough situation.

Hopefully, the accelerated courses give non-traditional students the ability to take more classes and complete their degree on time.

I think more online class options would aid undergrad, non-traditional students. It will also help commuter students who must drive from more than an hour away.

I do not think it would hurt for ESU to offer more online options. COVID has left many of us weary of the fall semester. Everyone is getting sick, and we always must worry about exposure.

There are students who love attending in-person classes, but I think there are a lot of others who would appreciate more on- line options as well.

The list of seven-week courses has not been released yet. I’m interested to see what kind of courses will be offered. Will it be all kinds of courses, intro courses, or the more advanced courses?

Some may feel that students are not learning as well when the course is accelerated.

As someone who has taken accelerated courses, believe me, it is just as much work. Plus, you are learning just as much.

However, there are some students who may find this format of coursework overwhelming. It all depends on the student and how they learn best.

The 300 and 400 level courses may be difficult to accelerate. But, if students are willing to complete that amount of work in a shortened time frame it’s worth it.

Scheduling courses for the next semester is always so stressful and more difficult than it needs to be.

I think these accelerated courses are a great way to help students get ahead or catch up on their degree works.

I think it’s great that ESU is now offering more accelerated courses in an online format.

Email Adrianna at:

awolf2@live.esu.edu