{"id":13731,"date":"2022-08-07T12:31:53","date_gmt":"2022-08-07T17:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eextra.news\/paris\/?p=13731"},"modified":"2024-11-25T17:08:46","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T23:08:46","slug":"pjc-empowers-students-with-move-to-8-week-classes-content-sponsored-by-quality-care-er","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eextra.news\/paris\/2022\/08\/07\/pjc-empowers-students-with-move-to-8-week-classes-content-sponsored-by-quality-care-er\/","title":{"rendered":"PJC empowers students with move to 8-week classes || Content sponsored by Quality Care ER"},"content":{"rendered":"
PJC students Addison Exum, Rachel Jones, and Jeovanny Avitua pose.<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\u201cI think it\u2019s best to take a short class because you have things due a lot quicker,\u201d Exum said. \u201cInstead of drawing it out with lecture after lecture after lecture, it\u2019s a couple of days and an exam, then a couple of days and an exam. So everything is closer together and you don\u2019t forget. When you have a midterm coming up, it\u2019s easier to study.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nIncreasingly, non-traditional students who work full-time, are parents, or who are both, find that they can only manage two or three classes at once.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMoving to eight-week instead of 16-week classes will, the College believes, help these students improve grades and graduation rates since they will be classified as full-time. That, in turn, helps with student completion of a certificate or degree.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDr. Jack Brown, PJC Biology Instructor, oversees the biomedical sciences articulation agreements with Texas A&M University and the University of Tyler – MD Anderson Cancer Center. He piloted Anatomy and Physiology I in the 8-week format.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cThe traditional 16-week semester tends to grind after the halfway point and I know students who have had four to five exams in one week with traditional 16-week semesters,\u201d said Brown. \u201cThat won\u2019t happen with 8-week terms, and with fewer classes at once students can focus more on the content since they have fewer courses at one time. Many students balance jobs and family, and I think the 8-week model will help them get their classes and maintain their work and family life.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nColleges that have converted to the 8-week model have demonstrated increased completion of degrees by their students. The rigor remains, but students can avoid burn-out that tends to boost student dropout rates around the ninth week of a 16-week semester.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHistory and Government Instructor Kelly Payne piloted the new model in the Spring 2022 semester. She found benefits for both faculty and staff.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cClasses move quickly, which I found to be more interesting for me to teach,\u201d Payne said, \u201cand it was easier to get students on the same page.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nShe innovated in the classroom with mini-video lectures and using multi-media in teaching.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cStudents didn\u2019t seem to get the mid-semester lull and were able to focus better,\u201d Payne said. \u201cThey gained confidence with online learning and using Blackboard, they didn\u2019t have to study for as many finals, and had more flexibility with doing homework.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nShe added that students who prefer face-to-face but have limited time benefit from the hybrid model through greater flexibility. That also benefits students who work or take care of family.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRachel Jones of Hugo, Oklahoma is a freshman English major who also took a five-week summer course at PJC.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cI think it\u2019s a great idea,\u201d Jones said when told of the move to 8-week classes. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot less stress and it\u2019s great to take three classes in eight weeks, take a break and then start back with two or three. I like the five-week format; it\u2019s quick paced, to the point, and gets it over with.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nPJC Drama Instructor William Walker agrees.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cI believe the 8-week courses alleviate many of the stressors that students encounter with a full 16-week course,\u201d Walker said. \u201cIn the 8-week courses we are refining our output to the students to focus on the actual lessons to be taught rather than on assignments. In my case we were able to focus on what theater is really all about. As a faculty member it really helps me to focus my teaching so that my students get the information that they need to be successful in my class. At the end my students told me it was refreshing to just talk about what theater is rather than have every day as a prep for an assignment.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nAt Grayson College, 11 percent of the students who were part-time converted to full-time when the college switched to the eight-week model. And at Amarillo College, student success in completing courses increased by nine percentage points.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJeovanny Avitua graduated from Paris High School and will attend PJC in the fall, pursuing a degree in Allied Health with plans to transfer to the nursing program.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s more studying and other activities have been cut down,\u201d said Avitua, \u201cbut I think it\u2019ll pay off. Studying more helps me remember more, and I\u2019ve learned a lot more than I would in high school.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\nTo get started at PJC, call 903-782-0425,\u00a0email apply@parisjc.edu<\/a>, or apply online at\u00a0www.parisjc.edu\/apply<\/a>.<\/div>\n