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Starting Fall 2022, Fletcher is offering all the required courses for most majors in eight-week sessions both online and face-to- face.
Fletcher Technical Community College (Fletcher) celebrated 70 years of education and training in 2021 and on the road to recovery from COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida, Fletcher is using innovation to make sure students have the opportunity to reach their success. Fletcher now has new eight-week sessions starting Fall 2022 that students are eligible to enroll in now, rethinking the traditional 16-week semester. Classes will look a little different for most students as there has been a careful redesign of the schedule to better assist with academic and student success. Fletcher students will be able to take two classes for eight weeks. Eight-week sessions bring a great deal of flexibility and allow students to focus on fewer subjects at one time.
Fletcher has been able to offer and pilot mini-sessions over the past few years and the data from these courses reveal that students maintain better focus and excel during short sessions, leading to less burnout. Taking fewer classes at one time affords students the opportunity to avoid the overwhelming demands that come with managing four or five courses at once. The change is expected to improve grades and increase graduation rates as witnessed from the pilot courses Fletcher has previously offered. This change will also provide more enrollment opportunities for adults who are juggling work, family, and other responsibilities.
“Fletcher is well-aware of our changing student needs and demands and so our faculty and staff put their heads together to rethink the traditional 16-week semester. The online minisessions within the semester have been successful, so we are taking the next and applying this model to all classes. Change is always risky, but we believe it is a risk worth taking,” states Dr. Laynie Barrilleaux, Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Fletcher. “This eight-week model allows students to focus on fewer classes at a time, focus more intently on difficult subjects, have more entry points for taking classes so they can stay on track to graduate and transfer more quickly into a four-year university if desired. Registration for fall 2022 is going on now. I encourage our community to check out the learning opportunities Fletcher has always offered and see how this new schedule can better fit their needs and lifestyles so they change their destiny.”
Additional benefits for students taking eight-week sessions are students are able to take the same number of credits in eight weeks rather than 16 weeks. Some students may be able to complete more courses each semester than in a traditional 16- week schedule, which will lead to them earning a degree quicker. The data has shown students are more successful when they can focus their attention on fewer subjects at one time. By the ninth week of a 16-week course, students start to drop classes, get bored or overwhelmed, or just stop coming to class. Since classes meet more often each week, students spend more time with their professors in the shortened timeframe.
For students with more responsibilities like a job and family, focusing on two classes each session fits into their schedule better. Students don’t have to wait a full semester to get back on track. If a student is late registering for the Fall 2022 semester, the student does not have to wait until Spring to get back on track; students still have another option to enroll and register for sessions that might be just eight weeks later -or less.
Time and money have been the two significant barriers for students. Not having the money has been a big challenge for anyone that they can’t afford education and training, but now more than ever, available resources exist for students in regards to funding options to further their education at an affordable rate.
Fletcher currently has many opportunities for students to start here and go anywhere. Over 15 articulation agreements exist with colleges and universities in state and out of state, allowing Fletcher students, upon completion of earning college credits or a degree, the option to transfer if the student has an interest in furthering their education and training.
Starting July 1, students may be able to attend Fletcher for FREE. This comes after Governor John Bel Edwards dedicated $10.5 million to the MJ Foster Promise Program. To be eligible, students must pursue a career in five high-demand fields. Those industries include construction, healthcare, information technology, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics. The eligibility requirements are as follows:
- Meet a family income that does not exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Level or be unemployed or underemployed for six months prior to receiving grant.
- Household of 1 = $38,640
- Household of 2 = $52,260
- Household of 3 = $65,880
- Household of 4 = $79,500
- Household of 5 = $93,120
- Have earned a high school diploma or equivalent or co-enroll in a qualified program of study and in a program to earn high school credential.
- Have not previously earned an undergraduate degree at the associate level or above.
- Be a Louisiana resident and U.S. Citizen.
- Commit to reside in Louisiana one year after completion and to perform 20 hours of community service, an internship, or a mentorship annually to maintain the award.
About Fletcher Technical Community College
Originally known as South Louisiana Trade School, Fletcher Technical Community College has provided education and career-minded training to the Bayou Region of South Louisiana since 1948. Fletcher Technical Community College will serve a diverse population of more than 5,000 individuals annually by providing pathways to higher education, the workforce, life-long learning, and/or personal enrichment. The college prepares students for success through technology-driven curriculum and a uniquely supportive environment. The college actively engages business and industry to develop the Bayou Region’s workforce. www.fletcher.edu
Registration for Fall classes is going on now. Check out the FAQ page on their website for more information or call an advisor for personal assistance.•
