"Full Time Friday" Schedule Disappoints

Colleges are experimenting with their schedules these days. Although gasoline prices are low right now, the recent scare prompted some schools to allow students to schedule their classes on fewer days per week. Many report great success with a four-day schedule, but taking it another major step could be problematic.

Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee offered its students the opportunity to maintain full-time status by attending four general education courses that met in lengthy Friday-only sections. It was called "Full Time Friday." Classes met from early in the morning until almost 10:00 p.m. As one administrator put it, the schedule is "Not for the faint of heart."

As reported in Inside Higher Ed., "Full Time Friday" was something of a bust. This may be worth noting for us, since some Texas legislators have admonished colleges and universities to insure that their facilities are in use at all times. Fridays are often slow, but the Tennessee school's experiment may not be the best remedy. 

From the piece:

As it turns out, most students taking advantage of this offering could not stomach 11-plus hours in the classroom. Of the 214 students enrolled in “Full Time Friday,” 102 enrolled in only one course. Only 11 students enrolled in the maximum of four courses. Though the college has not collected data to show the academic success of these students, it did report that 14 students dropped out of all their condensed courses, whether they were taking the minimum of one or the maximum of four. The lengthy courses were, apparently, more than some could handle.

“There was a misperception among some students that there was nothing special about these courses other than that they were being offered once a week,” said Bruce Scism, vice president of academic affairs at Volunteer State. “Some thought the classes would be easier because they met less often.”