In hopes of attracting more students, Allen Community College will switch to a four-day week next fall.
A survey given to students and faculty showed more than 70% wanted a four-day schedule. Students, both online and on campus, voted with about 70% in favor. Faculty showed more support, with 88% voting for the shorter week.
Kara Wheeler, vice president of academic affairs, said she spoke with officials at other colleges that have made a change to a four-day schedule. Students prefer it, and colleges use it as a recruiting tool.
“Students today are just as interested in work-life balance as we are. That’s what we saw in the results,” Wheeler said.
Most current classes are offered with three credit hours a week, and either take one-hour classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday or one-and-a-half hour classes on Tuesday and Thursday.
The new schedule will offer one-and-a-half hour classes on Monday and Wednesday or on Tuesday and Thursday. That allows students to work, volunteer or take internships for a full day on Friday.
The shorter week may not work for every student and every program, Wheeler noted. That’s especially true for Career and Technical Education programs, and those that require evening activities such as chemistry labs.
The switch to a shorter week is probably easier for a college than a school district, even though some districts have also gone to a four-day schedule, Cynthia Jacobson, vice president for student affairs, said. That’s because college students, unlike young children, don’t need daycare. College students also are more familiar with the block scheduling and classes that last an hour-and-a-half.
“A lot of our students work, especially our adult students, so this gives them some flexibility,” Jacobson said.
Faculty will continue to work the same amount of hours, as required by contract. That includes office hours and committee work.
The college will remain open on Fridays, even if there are no classes. Food service will be available and athletic practices are likely to continue as usual.
But because there won’t be as many classes taking place, the campus could be available for community use, Jacobson said. How that might work is yet to be determined.
Administrative staff will need more time to figure out how the schedule might work, Wheeler told Allen’s board of trustees earlier this month. She said they could expect to see next year’s calendar in December. That’s about a month behind when it would normally be presented.
THIS YEAR’S freshman class is the smallest in the past five years.
A study showed that’s likely attributed to decreased enrollment by recent area high school graduates.
