Winter Intersession enrollment has quadrupled since its launch in 2017 by WVU Online.
Nearly 1,000 students enrolled in the 2022-23 winter break session earning one to five credits.
“Students seem to love being able to focus on one course at a time,” said Julie Thalman, assistant provost for online and continuing professional education. “Winter term has been growing steadily year by year as more and more students see the value of completing a course in just three weeks’ time.”
More seniors than in previous years took advantage of this recent three-week accelerated session.
“Students taking part in the program generally have a high GPA and are looking to get ahead or graduate early, although the program is also valuable for students who need to make up a class or boost their grade point average.”
Winter Intersession courses also saw an increase in freshman interest and 40% of the enrollment included sophomores and juniors. More than 60% of the students enrolled were out-of-state students.
“The fact that the classes are all online really helps,” said Tammy Bishoff, director of student support services for WVU Online. “Students don’t have to miss winter fun or holiday activities while taking a class. But that doesn’t mean that the courses aren’t just as challenging as the ones they take during the regular semester.”
Due to increased demand, the program added six new classes to its course list, which has enough variety to offer something for any undergraduate student looking to make the most of the winter break.
Some of the most popular courses this year included introductory courses in sociology, human nutrition, geology and anthropology, as well as business courses such as principles of marketing, contemporary business strategy and supply chain management.
These courses are a fully online accelerated learning option.
Maymester, which returns May 8-26, also allows students to get classes out of the way and enjoy the summer.
"WVU colleges are encouraged to begin considering courses they would like to include online in Maymester and summer 2023,” said Thalman. “We will include more information soon in Mountaineer E-News."