How to pass a class in two days
Marc Beja
Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: Campus
When Wagner professor Will Carlin sat down to plan a 20-week project management course, there was one catch - he had just two days to teach all the material.
This past winter, NYU tested an intensive program that offered courses that normally last an entire semester condensed into four weeks. After a positive response, the university has decided to offer similar courses this May through the Gallatin School of Individualized Study; Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development; School of Continuing and Professional Studies; and the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Despite the fact that intensive courses only meet for a few weeks, the number of hours spent in class is about the same as a normal semester. Students will just need to process the information more quickly.
In Carlin's case, his graduate course on project management meets only twice, for nine hours each time. Because of the shortened schedule, Carlin has decided to abandon the idea of simply lecturing for the entire session and will now try to offer more hands-on activities and student interaction, talking for up to 20 minutes at a time before breaking into smaller group projects.
"If I were to try to lecture for nine hours straight, it would be boring," Carlin said. "But by breaking it up with group projects, it blazes by. The class goes by unbelievably quickly."
Steinhardt professor Maura Gouck will teach a graduate-level English education course, called "The English Teacher as Reflective Practitioner," that will meet for 12 sessions in three weeks as opposed to 14 sessions in 14 weeks if it were a regular course.
"It's not a huge difference," Gouck explained. "The difference is the intensity of it - the time to process the information."
A more condensed class has its pros and cons. Some graduate students have children to care for during the day or they cannot take time off from jobs in order to take a full semester of classes. Though it can be difficult to grasp all of the material so quickly, intensive programs can allow students to complete the credits at a faster pace.
"It's nicer, I think, if you don't have to do it that way," Gouck said. "But some people would rather spend less time in school and move on to the work force."
Associate Vice Provost Nancy Morrison agreed that because of the shorter time commitment, students will be able to pursue other interests they may not have had time for otherwise.
"Intensives allow a student to extend their academic year, earn a few credits ... and still work and/or have an internship for the summer," Morrison said.
While the courses are shorter, Morrison does not think the May courses will be any less academically stimulating than a regular class.
"The faculty determines which courses are pedagogically appropriate," she said. "They are also keenly focusing on maintaining the university's academic quality and rigor."
Gallatin professor Stacy Pies thinks the schedule for the May courses will be beneficial for her course on philosophic dialogue.
"I think the intensity of the May session will work well with the content of the class and will enable the students to experience what they are studying," Pies said in an e-mail. "We will be in a Socratic state for 14 days! I think it's going to be great intellectual fun!"
Marc Beja is a staff writer. E-mail him at campus@nyunews.com.
This past winter, NYU tested an intensive program that offered courses that normally last an entire semester condensed into four weeks. After a positive response, the university has decided to offer similar courses this May through the Gallatin School of Individualized Study; Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development; School of Continuing and Professional Studies; and the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Despite the fact that intensive courses only meet for a few weeks, the number of hours spent in class is about the same as a normal semester. Students will just need to process the information more quickly.
In Carlin's case, his graduate course on project management meets only twice, for nine hours each time. Because of the shortened schedule, Carlin has decided to abandon the idea of simply lecturing for the entire session and will now try to offer more hands-on activities and student interaction, talking for up to 20 minutes at a time before breaking into smaller group projects.
"If I were to try to lecture for nine hours straight, it would be boring," Carlin said. "But by breaking it up with group projects, it blazes by. The class goes by unbelievably quickly."
Steinhardt professor Maura Gouck will teach a graduate-level English education course, called "The English Teacher as Reflective Practitioner," that will meet for 12 sessions in three weeks as opposed to 14 sessions in 14 weeks if it were a regular course.
"It's not a huge difference," Gouck explained. "The difference is the intensity of it - the time to process the information."
A more condensed class has its pros and cons. Some graduate students have children to care for during the day or they cannot take time off from jobs in order to take a full semester of classes. Though it can be difficult to grasp all of the material so quickly, intensive programs can allow students to complete the credits at a faster pace.
"It's nicer, I think, if you don't have to do it that way," Gouck said. "But some people would rather spend less time in school and move on to the work force."
Associate Vice Provost Nancy Morrison agreed that because of the shorter time commitment, students will be able to pursue other interests they may not have had time for otherwise.
"Intensives allow a student to extend their academic year, earn a few credits ... and still work and/or have an internship for the summer," Morrison said.
While the courses are shorter, Morrison does not think the May courses will be any less academically stimulating than a regular class.
"The faculty determines which courses are pedagogically appropriate," she said. "They are also keenly focusing on maintaining the university's academic quality and rigor."
Gallatin professor Stacy Pies thinks the schedule for the May courses will be beneficial for her course on philosophic dialogue.
"I think the intensity of the May session will work well with the content of the class and will enable the students to experience what they are studying," Pies said in an e-mail. "We will be in a Socratic state for 14 days! I think it's going to be great intellectual fun!"
Marc Beja is a staff writer. E-mail him at campus@nyunews.com.
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