The University of Indianapolis’ requirement to take a spring term course puts a burden its students.
I have taken a spring term course twice. The first one I didn’t take as seriously as I should have, so I had to take another to get the credit I needed. Both times I took a course on campus because I didn’t have the money to travel abroad.
The second spring term course was slightly more enjoyable because I had more friends enrolled with me and I got to watch movies every day. However, it was still very much like a course that I could have taken during the regular school year.
I was frustrated about having to take a spring term course because it meant I had to stay on campus for three extra weeks. By the time I was able to travel back home, all the summer jobs were taken. It made becoming more financially stable much harder than if I had been able to go home at the beginning of May.
Students like me, who cannot afford to travel abroad during the three-week period, are limited to staying on campus. Some of the courses offered on campus allow students to travel in the city or to gain experiences that create memories, but others are cut-and-dried and more like regular courses.
Those cut-and-dried courses require students who are only trying to get the credit and be done to get up before 8 a.m. and be there for three hours, five days a week, for three weeks.
I don’t know about other students, but I want to be intrigued and have fun if I’m going to have to be on campus longer. If UIndy wants to continue doing spring term courses, some changes are needed. Traveling abroad received some positive feedback, as have the courses in which students get to travel around the city or state. However, the courses that just follow the usual class style are boring.
None of the spring term courses that are offered count for credit toward a major. I understand why, but if some of the courses offered actually counted toward my major, I would have had more incentive to actually do the work required for the course. Grades should be enough incentive, but sometimes I need more.
Another possibility would be more spring term courses that are community service based. If more spring term courses focused on service learning that would be more beneficial to students, and advance the university motto of “Education for Service.”
