Laura Teegarden
Daily Egyptian
The first batch of four-week summer courses has ended, and some students are relieved.
"I'm definitely glad it's over," said Cornelius Taylor, a junior from Chicago studying marketing. "It was quite difficult."
Taylor took economics 240, an intensive four-week course, because he
was happy to take a 16-week course in four weeks and still get the same
number of credits. He has taken summer courses since his freshman year,
and knew what he was getting into, he said.
"Even though the demand is greater, I'm just the type of guy that will do it and get it over with," Taylor said.
Jack Young, academic advisor for the school of journalism, warns
students that the shorter summer classes doesn't translate to easy
class credits.
"They are going to be exactly the same," Young said.
The only difference between summer classes and regular classes is that
they are more concentrated so the classes cover all the necessary
material, he said.
"For eight week courses, basically every week of class is worth two weeks of content," he said.
English professor Mary Ellen Lamb said taking a four- or eight-week class in the summer is a major commitment.
"I think some of my students expected it to be watered down," Lamb said.
Lamb, who just finished teaching English 471, taught the same amount of
material and expected just as much from her students in her summer
course as her course during the regular school year.
"It did become a major commitment. I think some of them were stunned,"
she said. "I think some of them were not aware of how much work it was
going to be."
The students spent two hours and 10 minutes each day in class and were
expected to set aside three to four hours every day to prepare for
class.
She said her class was a big commitment, and that it was really
important that her students set aside their other obligations during
the four-week period.
Though there was a heavy workload, Lamb said her students were eager
and interested. She said she was happy with the grades in the end.
Reporter Laura Teegarden can be reached at
laura_teegarden@dailyegyptian.com
