VANCOUVER, Wash. – Friday classes will become the norm when Washington State University Vancouver begins to follow a standard course schedule in the fall.
The schedule will include 50-minute classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 75-minute classes on Tuesday and Thursday. Variations will be allowed to accommodate longer classes and labs. Vancouver currently holds classes/labs on Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday, with very few on Friday.
Moving to a standard course schedule accomplishes several goals. It eases scheduling conflicts, making students’ paths to graduation smoother. It is a better use of facilities. It spreads classes more evenly throughout the day and week and will help alleviate “peak time” pressure on buildings, staff, students, faculty and parking.
It puts Vancouver in alignment with other campuses in the WSU system for more seamless scheduling of videoconference classes, meetings and events. It creates a more vibrant, active campus all week long.
The effort was initiated by the Office of Academic Affairs. A task force with staff, faculty and student representatives was established in 2011 to make a recommendation by February 2012. The transition was approved by administrative leadership. An implementation committee, established in the summer, is working through the transition.