Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas

College Introduces FLEX Courses

Staying on the cutting edge of higher education isn’t easy, but Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas is certainly trying. The College has announced that, beginning in January it will offer to the public a new method of delivering instruction to students called FLEX courses.
 
“We call them FLEX courses because they are designed to fit into anyone’s schedule,” said Vice Chancellor Steve Cole. “We are trying to meet students on their terms, which means offering courses outside the normal 16-week fall and spring semesters. A student may decide that they can take an extra class – FLEX courses give them the opportunity to do that, because the academic credit is reported in the same semester. This has the added advantage of helping our students graduate sooner.”

FLEX courses take material that is designed to be presented in sixteen weeks and compress it into four weeks. These 4-week courses are offered at the beginning of the months of February, March, April, September, October and November. Some courses are compressed into eight weeks; they will be offered with start dates in February, April, June, July, August and October.”

Cole gave the particulars of how FLEX scheduling works. “We’ve tried to make picking up a FLEX course as easy as possible, by starting the 4-week and 8-week courses at the beginning of the month. If you’ll go to our website, you’ll see the particulars in the special FLEX schedule – things like registration deadlines, special class requirements, that kind of thing. We will, from time to time, add new FLEX courses, as the needs of our students warrant it.”

He was quick to point out that while the courses are short, that doesn’t mean they are in any way less than what is regularly offered. “We have been very attentive to maintaining the academic rigor of these courses, and making sure the content is identical” he said. “CCCUA has a reputation as a ground-breaker in online education, and we want to make sure that anybody who takes a FLEX course gets the same content and quality of instruction as someone who sits at a desk on our campuses.”

For more information about FLEX courses, contact Student Services at 800.844.4471.