Students enrolling in the College of the Canyons Fall 2024 semester will notice a new course type featured in the class schedule: Focused Classes.

Eight weeks in duration, Focused Classes were created to provide students with added flexibility, speed and information retention.

As an alternative to enrolling in a traditional four-class semester for 16 weeks, a focused semester allows students to split a full course load into two separate eight-week blocks or a mix.

National research has shown that success, persistence, retention and completion rates increased for students taking these focused pathways instead of traditional semesters.

“Focused classes were created with the needs of students in mind, especially those who juggle work and various family responsibilities while attending college,” said Dr. Omar Torres, assistant superintendent and vice president of instruction. “Focused Classes will allow students to concentrate on fewer classes at a time, allowing greater scheduling flexibility while supporting more time with their instructors during the eight weeks.”

For part-time students, Focused Classes provide the opportunity to focus on one to two courses at a time while completing more classes each semester. They can also take advantage of eight-week courses offered during the summer term to maintain their academic momentum.

Since eight-week classes cover the same content covered in 16-week classes, courses will be paced more efficiently and require greater time commitment. However, since students are taking fewer classes at the same time in a focused semester, the workload should feel more manageable because there are fewer courses to concentrate on at one time.

To lessen the need to commute between the college’s two campuses, many Focused Classes will be strategically scheduled at the Canyon Country campus.

For more information about Focused Classes at College of the Canyons, click here.