Get Ahead in College with Holiday Break Courses

Edgecombe Community College faculty Rick Basile, criminal justice program chair, and Sheryll Wood, dean of arts and sciences, discuss the criminal law course Basile will teach during upcoming online holiday break classes. ECC is offering 13 College Transfer courses during holiday break.

With the holidays fast approaching, many are looking forward to a little family time or time away from work.

But for some Edgecombe Community College students, the holiday season is another opportunity to add credit hours to their transcripts.

“For some, the holiday season is a very busy time,” says Sheryll Wood, dean of the Division of Arts and Sciences at ECC. “But that’s not the case for everyone.”

For the past three years, Edgecombe Community College has added a series of holiday classes to its curriculum. From December 4 to January 5, students can pick up a course or two in a variety of fields.

“These are five-week courses, just like a summer school class,” Wood says. “They cover the same amount of material as regular semester classes, so they are fast-paced.”

Wood says the first priority in picking the classes, which are all online, was to offer classes that are guaranteed to transfer to any college or university. The program has grown so quickly since it began in 2015 that the College now offers a wide variety of subjects.

In 2015, 37 students enrolled in the five holiday break classes. In 2016, 91 students participated in 11 different classes. This year, 82 students already have signed up for the 13 available classes. Students can register for holiday break classes through December 3.

Wood admits that initially she was skeptical of the program, but after three years, she now sees the wide range of students who might benefit from holiday break classes.

The College is targeting students who need one more class to graduate in the spring or had to withdraw from a class during the fall semester. Another group includes student-athletes looking for a class that doesn’t interfere with their season.

For Jordan Linscott, the holiday break classes are convenient because they don’t interfere with her regular class load in ECC’s Nursing program.

“They start when my nursing classes end,” Linscott says. “I live in Greenville, but it doesn’t matter where you live. As long as you have Internet access and a computer, you can be successful.”

Wood says that not only are more students embracing holiday break classes, but so are many instructors.

“This is not a new idea, but it is new to us,” she explains. “We want to serve students at times that work for them, and online holiday classes are one more way we can meet their needs.”