Monday is the beginning of a new school year for students at Albany Technical College. This first day of class is also the first semester of the latest concept of seven-week plus seven-week semesters.  Albany Technical College will be the first Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) postsecondary institution to switch over to this approach, which creates six times during an academic year when students can start classes, rather than the three entry points available in a traditional semester format.

Albany Tech should see an uptick in enrolled hours. The total number of credit hours for Fall 2019 is expected to surpass the total credit hours from the previous Fall. Reducing the number of courses that a full-time student is taking at any given 7-week period and increasing the number of terms per year creates a system where student success is most likely. Couple that with online and hybrid courses that create opportunities to work around a student’s life. The delivery system for education becomes more flexible.  This approach is the best solution for the hectic lifestyle of the average person.

As students start the new year and build a future, things will seem different as they adapt to the unique flow of a faster-paced yet focused approach to taking classes. This simple concept works by using a shortened format. This process allows students to take courses and earn credits more frequently while giving them fewer courses to focus on per seven-week period. Students will have opportunities to start classes in a quicker cycle. 

College officials say research shows that the new format will improve student performance by creating fewer subjects to focus on per seven-week period. This approach also increases the number of credit hours a student can earn per Success Semester and provides employers with employees more frequently each year. 

“With Success Terms, we will start to see an increase in student success.  More students will take full-time credits each semester. This will create a win-win environment for our students, the College, and employers in the community,” said Dr. Anthony Parker, President of Albany Technical College.