An increasingly large number of students have been taking advantage of the University's alternative class opportunities, including the Summer Session, January Term and Study Abroad programs.
January Term, which began in 2005 with about 200 students enrolled, nearly doubled to around 400 students in 2006, according to Vice Provost for Academic Affairs J. Milton Adams.
Summer Session has remained relatively steady over the past several years with about 4,000 students enrolled, but the first session this summer beginning May 15, is larger than ever, Director of Summer Session Dudley Doane said.
"We have over 400 courses each summer and a number of them change," Doane said. "There's a mix of core courses, [however], that are important to students, that we need to offer every summer," such as organic chemistry.
Study abroad programs also boast a significant increase in student participation from 1,427 students during the 2003-2004 academic year to nearly 1,700 students in the 2004-2005 academic year, Associate Director of Study Abroad Marina Markot said.
"We are constantly revising the offerings and making sure we have as many different offerings as possible," Markot said.
Currently the Study Abroad program offers semester-long visits to unusual places such as Leon in France and Valencia in Spain, she said.
Markot added that the University's program in Tibet is completely unique, and it is really "a badge of honor that University faculty [was] able to initiate it."
Summer study abroad sessions include studying in Morocco, Southern Africa and Jordan, with intensive Arabic studies, Markot said.
Doane said benefits of the three summer sessions are numerous.
"One benefit is students have access to courses not offered in the spring or fall," Doane said. "Another benefit is the intensive experience -- studying one or two subjects exclusively day after day-- the immersion possibility. And probably the third greatest strength is student-faculty ratio."
The January Term also shares many of these benefits, along with the option of traveling to domestic and international locations, Adams said.
During the 2006 January Term, there were three study abroad opportunities for students, but that number has increased to seven projected for the 2007 term, Markot said.
Students pursue these alternative opportunities for a variety of different reasons, Doane said.
He added that the reasons students cited for enrolling in the Summer Session were to complete a requirement for their major, lighten their course load during the academic year, improve their GPA, learn about a unique topic not taught during the academic year or take advantage of the intensive learning environment.
Markot said many students utilize the University's study abroad program to be exposed to internationally renowned faculty, learn about different cultures and cross-culture competency skills and for personal growth such as self-reliance and flexibility.
"You have to be able to navigate a system of circumstances that you're not familiar with" while studying abroad, she added.
One of the great things about the University's study abroad program is its accessibility for students, Markot said. The University is one of only three schools where students can apply and register for study abroad classes online, which simplifies a very complicated process.
University officials agreed that all three programs are expected to grow in the upcoming years and will hopefully continue to gain the appeal of students.
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