A cohort of 81 first-year students at 靠谱电子游艺平台 have now completed two four-credit 这学期的大学课程，而现在才十月份.
These students are enrolled in an innovative pilot program that allows them to complete 一次上一节课. Available at only a handful of United States colleges and universities, 一节课一次调度，也被称为 块模型, is getting resoundingly positive reviews from both students and faculty.
The evolving needs of modern students were central to 靠谱电子游艺平台’s decision to 采用这种新的调度模型. 这个新生班的教育中断了 by the beginning of the 新型冠状病毒肺炎 pandemic, and so did the next several incoming classes.
“We have a group of students that are seeking meaningful experiential and relationship-based 教学中,“ Dr. 格雷琴Rumohr教务处副教务长解释说. “我们经历了一段时间的调查， exploring what other colleges were doing and felt 块模型 would be an excellent 适合现在的学生.”
到目前为止，学生们对此表示赞同. 从学生的调查中得出块模型试点 of 77 respondents, not a single student said they would not recommend 块模型 to their peers in traditional schedules, and 98% of respondents felt 块模型 积极地影响了他们在课堂上的投入和参与.
一次只上一门课是什么样的?
In a traditional schedule, college students take several classes in a week and their 日程安排每天都有很大的不同. 例如，周一的课程可以 早上8点开始.m. 周二可能要到下午才开始. 学生可能有 difficulty scheduling their work hours, developing a routine or managing the expectations of several professors at once across a variety of subjects in traditional schedules.
With block scheduling, students are in the same class Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. 到中午. They immerse themselves in a single course for three and a half weeks, complete their final assessments and then enjoy a four-day weekend before beginning 他们的下一堂课是新课. 每学期，学生们要上四门四学分的课程 for a total of 32 credits per year, more than what is required for graduation in four 年.
One reason students have said that they enjoy this model is that it gives them the opportunity to fully immerse themselves into the subject they’re currently studying. For those three and a half weeks, they have the time and space to explore what it 意思是存在 历史学家, 作家, 生物学家 和更多的. They aren’t splitting their interests and time between several subjects.
“When you focus on only one class, it’s just that homework and you can center yourself 一年级学生玛丽亚·希拉里说道. “当你有 multiple classes, it’s a lot more difficult to decide what you should study for. If 我只有一节课，这是我的首要任务.”
大一新生克洛伊·拉塞尔对此表示赞同. “这只是一节课，所以我不用担心 其他的都行，”她说. “与高中最后一年相比，我的压力相当小 学校.”
The flexible afternoons and consistent routine also help students manage their time 当他们适应新环境时. 安排和朋友的聚会，工作时间， 完成作业或团队练习的时间被简化了.
“I definitely have a lot more free time,” said Jason Swanson, a first year history major and member of the swim and dive team who chose to enroll in 块模型. “It’s just nice that I’m 在课堂上 for three hours, and then I’m done… I’ll go to swim 我也是历史俱乐部的一员. 它给你机会去做 因为你有一个固定的时间表.”
亲身体验科目
With three hours 在课堂上 each day, faculty have been able to design their courses 具有嵌入式体验式学习机会. 体验式学习优先 hands-on, real world active learning, or learning by doing, followed by reflection. 例如, Dr. 艾米·邓纳姆·斯特兰德书店 First Year Seminar, which focuses on the topic of climate justice, spent its first class day planting wildflower plugs at the Marywood campus of the Dominican Sisters 大急流城 .
“We also went to the farmer’s market,” said first-year student Maria Hillary. “We 走到那里，我们和供应商谈了谈，问了他们问题. 那真的是 cool to see: what people in the real world are doing to try to help the environment 以及它如何影响每个人的生活. 它让我与我正在学习的东西更加紧密地联系在一起 在课堂上.”
In Rob Peter’s Human Biology class, students regularly visit the lab to see the anatomies 他们直接讨论.
“I’m actually in the middle of dissecting a heart right now,” Nick Dashner told us 在他的人类生物学实验室里. “下星期五我们要去实地考察一个展览 展示人体，我觉得会很有趣.”
“We had students visit the Grand Rapids Public Museum collection at the Community 档案和研究中心的世界历史课程，”博士说. Rumohr. “他们 必须是历史学家. 这些都是学生们记得的经历. 他们 这些经历孕育了社区. 它们也是一种体验 这才是真正令人难忘、有影响力的教学.”
促进课堂联系
The block model has also deepened classroom relationships as students strengthen bonds 彼此之间以及教授之间. 对于正在适应的一年级学生 to an entirely new community, there is notable value in seeing a group of peers regularly. Some students even feel like they’ve found lifelong friends in the block.
“I have a few really close friends already, even though it’s only been six and a half 到目前为止已经好几个星期了。. “在这个学期这么早就有这样的课程真是太棒了.”
普雷斯利·霍尔说:“我们正在一起度过难关。. “这绝对是块积木 与人交谈和了解人要容易得多. 得到它真的很好 我现在的处境使我可以很容易地交到朋友.”
Professors, who are used to seeing several classes of students during the week, are 也见证了这种关系丰富的环境的好处. 的连接 mean students are more comfortable in discussions 和更多的 willing to ask for help.
“From a teacher’s perspective, I got to know my students much more quickly than I “在正常的学期里，”他说. 邓纳姆链. “而且他们通常更 现在.”
The block model pilot is set to continue for the rest of the 2023-2024 academic year and will welcome a new cohort of first-year students in the 2024-2025 academic year. 靠谱电子游艺平台 will likely decide whether to extend one-class-at-a-time scheduling 在本学年结束前完成所有课程. 如果他们决定 to extend the program to all classes, the change would happen in the Fall of 2025.
Professional development is available to faculty as such decisions are weighed. “We received a $185,000 grant to establish the Center for Teaching Excellence on campus,” 博士说. Rumohr. “我们将向有意愿的教师发放课程重新设计补助金 to learn more about this model so teachers will be supported as we move forward.”
明年的名额有限. 一年级 申请人 who are interested in enrolling in 块模型 should indicate interest in one-class-at-a-time scheduling when they apply and make their deposit by March 1st to be considered for 2024年秋季有限的街区空间之一.
