University of Delaware announces longer class times beginning with fall semester
The University of Delaware plans to increase the length of its classes for the 2023-24 academic year.
In a UDaily post on Friday, the university announced classes at the school will be lengthened by five minutes beginning in the fall.
Classes held three times a week on will increase from 50 minutes to 55 minutes, while classes held twice a week will increase from 75 to 80 minutes, according to the Office of the University Registrar.
Three-hour class slots, which meet once a week, will still be held for the same duration of time, the university stated.
The 15-minute break between scheduled classes is provided to allow entrance and departure time for students and instructors, according to the registrar.
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The change comes after a university assessment in preparation for reaccreditation was made.
A working group met during the winter and spring of 2022 to study the issue of class lengths, gather feedback, research best practices and make a recommendation about how to move forward, school officials said.
Key stakeholders at the university, along with the Student Government Association and the Graduate Student Assembly, had a hand in the matter. An open forum also took place for faculty to solicit feedback, university officials said.
Final changes were approved by the Faculty Senate last spring after the assessment was requested by former Provost Robin Morgan. The review was completed by a specially appointed working group, chaired by University Registrar Amanda Steele-Middleton.
Aside from this change, the university has updated its special sessions, semesters held in summer and winter.
These sessions will continue to meet for durations shorter than those of the fall and spring semesters, which have 69 meeting days, but each individual class session will meet for the same length of time as fall and spring courses. Previously, special sessions were scheduled as more frequent or longer class meetings over fewer weeks than offerings during the regular academic year.
This comes as part of a university review of the school’s calendar structure, conducted to align the lengths of breaks and holidays for a “consistent experience in each semester,” reports UDaily.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: University of Delaware classes will be longer beginning in fall
