By George Ledbetter, Chadron State College
CHADRON – Learning opportunities at Chadron State College don’t take a break during the summer months and the wide range of summer course offerings give students an opportunity to speed the completion of their graduation requirements and obtain real-life experiences through internships that complement their chosen fields of study.
Chadron State’s summer courses, available to both undergraduate and graduate students, are primarily provided online, in four or eight-week sessions. Students can start the eight week-sessions in early May or early June. Four-week courses begin in May, June, and July. Adult enrichment and early entry courses for high school juniors or seniors are also offered at CSC during the summer.
“I am a proponent of summer classes and whole-heartedly recommend them to my students,” said Rich Kenney Jr., Associate Professor of Social Work. “It can help lighten loads during the academic year as well as help a student graduate earlier, if that is her or his goal. It can also be helpful for a student to take a difficult class during the summer.”
Kenney has been teaching two classes each summer for the past six years, and said he enjoys teaching online and having more time to work with students.
“With fewer distractions from the hectic schedule of fall and spring semesters, I can spend more time commenting on assignments and papers,” he said. “Students in my summer courses quickly realize the importance of time management. I constantly remind them of the daily assignments, and let them know I am here to help.”
The accelerated timeframe of summer courses means things happen faster for both students and teachers, but that isn’t necessarily a negative aspect, said Professor of Psychological Sciences Mary Jo Carnot, who has taught summer classes for more than a decade.
“It can lead to some valuable experiences for me and the students, as we immerse ourselves in the content of the class and potential applications,” she said.
The amount of homework involved in summer courses can be challenging, said CSC senior Rieley Maier, who recently completed summer classes in abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, and statistics. She took the courses in order to complete the requirements for graduation in May, with plans to enter graduate school this fall.
Finishing courses required for graduation is a common motivation for taking summer classes, and can pay off for students, said Carnot.
“If they work with their advisers to make sure classes they are taking will meet their academic goals, this has the potential to move graduation up a year and save money for students,” she said.
Maier acknowledged the need to focus on class work when taking summer school courses.
“I do not think the work was really much harder, but the amount of homework I had to do was a lot,” she said. “I found it was easiest to just make the time to do a bunch of it at once, because then it was done and I had time for other things.”
Carnot notices time management is key for summer school students.
“Students who have good time management skills and motivation do very well (in summer classes,” Carnot said. “I have found recently that most of my summer students have been very successful.”
Though much of her summer was filled with class work, Maier said the effort was worthwhile.
“I got it all done and accomplished in a short amount of time and it will help me get to my goals in a more timely fashion,” she said. “Honestly, I think it was the best thing that I did.”
CSC summer course offerings include classes in Art, Biology, Business, Communication, Education, English, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health, Physical Education and Recreation, History, Mathematics, Music, Natural Sciences, Psychological Sciences, and Essential Studies. Students working towards a master’s degree can take classes in Business Administration, Organizational Management, Education Administration, Curriculum and Instruction, Counseling, Community Mental Health Counseling, Mathematics, and History.
In addition to the flexibility they offer students, summer courses are affordable. The current undergraduate online rate for summer classes is $296.50 per credit hour. The graduate online rate is $370.75 per credit hour.
For more information visit www.csc.edu/summer