Altamaha switches to semesters
Technical college change has been planned for years
By MICHAEL HALL
The Brunswick News
Brian Newton’s instructor gave him a clear objective on the first day of class of the short summer quarter at Altamaha Technical College Wednesday.
“He told me to take apart this air conditioning unit so we can fix it,” Newton said.
The 21-year-old student is learning heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration at the school’s campus at the Golden Isles Career Academy.
The day was special. It marked the beginning of the end of the quarter system at Altamaha Tech.
Starting Aug. 22, Newton and every other student in the Technical College System of Georgia will begin semester-long classes.
Quarters last 10 weeks and courses usually are taught for two hours a day. Semester courses, on the other hand, are taught for shorter periods each day but last 15 weeks.
Newton said the five extra weeks of instruction will be nice.
“I think it will be a lot better for everyone,” he said. “It will be nice to have more time to work on projects and be more hands on.”
The switch has been a long and difficult process for Lorette Hoover, president of Altamaha Technical College, but she said it will pay off in the end.
Having semesters will allow the entire technical college system to operate with a unified curriculum to ensure smooth transfers to other technical schools and four-year colleges, Hoover said.
She said it has taken more than two years to get ready for the switch because the administration had to consider everything from class registration to the schedules of the students.
“We would like for the switch to go unnoticed by the students so that no one has to retake any classes or graduate late,” Hoover said.
For Newton, that won’t be a problem. He is taking summer classes to make sure that when the semester system starts in August, he will still be on track.
Lee Clark, Newton’s instructor, said he welcomes the change because it means more time to teach.
“We cram so much information into their heads in 10 weeks. This will ease that some,” Clark said.
Hoover said for nontraditional students with children, the semester system will coincide more closely with the public school system. The school system changed over to the semester system several years ago.
Tammy Kehle, 41, of Darien, a nontraditional student in business administration, said her two children are grown, but she welcomes the change. She said courses move so quickly in the quarter system that it’s sometimes hard to stay on top of the work.
“The extra time will allow for more time for retention and studying,” Kehle said.
Kehle is also happy about what she hopes will be an easier transfer of credits. She hopes to attend Valdosta State University after finishing an associate degree.
Shown in photo: Brian Newton, 21, of Brunswick, works on the running capacitor in an air conditioning unit Wednesday at Altamaha Technical College’s Brunswick campus at the Golden Isles Career Academy.
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