New seven-week courses set to begin at Chattanooga State Community College

Administrators at Chattanooga State Community College are trying a new approach to college courses that condenses classes from the usual fifteen-week semester to a seven-week format. Students will take fewer classes per term but will still be able to earn the same amount of credit hours over two seven-week sessions that they can in a typical semester. The college chose to pursue this as an option based on higher education studies that have shown benefits to the shortened term format. The first seven-week term will begin January and the second will begin in March.

Participating students at CSCC will focus on two or three courses at a time then begin a new set of two or three classes the following seven weeks. Administrators made the move based on studies that show this new format can produce better student outcomes than the traditional fifteen-week semester format. As explained by Dr. Beth Norton, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Chattanooga State in a recent press release, "In higher education research, there are many studies citing the benefits to students enrolling in shorter term courses. The completion rates for these courses are much higher than traditional 15 week-long courses, where life issues surface and many students drop out. We are focused on student success at Chattanooga State Community College, so moving to a course delivery format, backed by higher education research, is a move that we can easily justify to support the success of our students." The new classes will be offered in virtual and online formats. Virtual classes will be taught at specific days and times while the online courses can be completed at the convenience of the individual student.