Quarter Length Courses Allow Students the Choice Between Multiple Narrowly Focused Subject Matters Throughout the Semester
Quarter courses were developed to increase the diversity of courses available to high ability students. Courses last for half a semester and are usually developed in pairs taught by the same instructor. Topics for quarter courses are usually more narrowly focused in subject matter or practice than semester courses. Several pairs of quarter courses can be scheduled with multiple teachers at the same time slot, allowing students more freedom to mix and match combinations. Quarter courses can also be rotated from year to year further increasing the variety of course offerings.
Challenges or Obstacles:
- One challenge can be in pairing quarter courses topics to create two topics that would appeal to the same group of students.
- Alternatively, if the topics appeal to different groups of students, finding a study hall or other activity to fill the alternative quarter can be a challenge.
- Guidance counselors will have to consider if there will be an add/drop period for a quarter course, or how much schedule rearrangement to permit to free a student for the meeting time of a quarter course. Quarter courses work best in a student’s schedule if built in at the beginning rather than added later.
- Teachers may have some challenges in creating quarter course topics and activities that truly fit the half semester time schedule.
Benefits and Successes:
- Most of the quarter courses used at the Indiana Academy have had high enrollments and good student interest. Students appreciate the ability to sharply focus on a narrow topic of study for a brief period of time and to create more diversity in their curriculum choices by mixing and matching quarter courses.
- Quarter courses fit several aspects of the Purdue Secondary Model (Feldhusen & Robinson-Wyman, 1986) by increasing student exposure to a variety of fields of study, gather a large fund of information about diverse topic, development of the student’s own capacities, interests and needs and experience activities at an appropriate level and pace.
Additional Information:
Click here for an example of a quarter course list
Submitted by: Jeff Smith, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities