How long of a course do you prefer?

Having read many posts here about the length of courses, (e.g. 5 wks vs. 8 wks vs. 16 wks), do you prefer 8 week courses? As an undergrad the 8 week courses were somewhat condensed, and if I took more than two course the work load (in conjunction with active duty military service) was quite a load. In my MBA program, it is a normal semester, and I am glad for the extra time. Just out of curiousity, have you taken any shorter classes? I took a U of Phoenix course, and they were too short for me to understand the material as well as I would have liked. Eight week courses were cramed, but I did have a stronger understanding of the material than during the shorter classes. Since this is my first semester as an MBA student, I will have to wait and see how 15 week semesters are. So for me, I would guess the optimal time for a course to learn it well is probably 10 weeks, but I have to wait and see when all the data is in. Maybe I will write a paper on it one day.

William

 

I prefer courses without deadlines for assignments and which can be completed according to my schedule. Generally, I like the old fashioned independent study courses that give you all the assignments up front. You can complete them as quickly as you like or take your time when needed.

 

I am attending Park University and our terms are eight weeks. At first I thought it was alot to cram in, but now I really like the format. I am taking three classes and at times its alot, especially if I have papers due all the same week. But I think if the term was longer I would get bored and not be able to retain as much.

 

I did a lot of self paced online courses, and got them done in a week or two. Those were courses for which I was already skilled or had a natural aptitude. In my current cohort, our courses are anywhere from two to six weeks. I prefer them to be shorter.

All that said, my degree is in a field that I have considerable work experience, so I'm trying to get credit for things I'm already good at. Were I going for a degree in something I had no experience with, I might like the semester system. That would give me time to explore. I hope that's what grad school is like.

 

I find the 8-week course schedule a perfect balance to maintain focus (not get bored or procrastinate too much) and handle working full-time. I am taking two distance learning 8-week courses presently after taking a few 8-week courses sequentially. Once I wrap up these two course I am going back to one course at a time. I really need a few hours a week of "sparetime". ;-)

 

I would have to agree w/ at least 8 week format. I nearly have a degree from UOP, and the 5 week courses are good for some courses like org behavior, and theory, but not so good for finance, and law courses because there is a lot to cover, and I feel I could have learned more in 8 weeks. Not taking away from the course material, it was all there, just thrown at me rather fast and furious.

That's why I decided to go to GWU rather than take my MBA at UOP because I want the courses to be spread out more, and they still have the group atmosphere, on top of AACSB accreditation.