Pitt-Johnstown students can expect to see changes made to classes offered in the summer term.

According to Academic Affairs Vice President Janet Grady, a faculty/student  committee plans to meet and discuss the possible summer class changes.

“We are not making major changes to the schedule this summer, but we plan to incorporate some new ideas in the near future,” Grady said.

“For example, it may be possible to alter the traditional 5- or 7-week format for some courses, or include completion of various certificates that would add value to the traditional curriculum in a major or program.”

Grady said the committee plans on looking at several different factors when making these changes, including which courses students have previously requested and which courses have high enrollment.

“For many students there is a lot to be gained through summer course work, and we want to do our best to accommodate students’ need and add to the overall high quality academic and unique collegiate experience that is Pitt-Johnstown.”

Pitt-Johnstown history professor Robert Matson said he thinks there is a lot to be gained from taking a summer course, as opposed to during the regular academic year.

“In the summer, because the class size is smaller, we can have a lot more discussion and participation and can generally be more informal.”

Communications professor Kristen Majocha  said she is offering a new summer course to attract more students.

“I am offering intercultural communication this summer instead of organizational communication,” Mojaocha said. “Intercultural fulfills a gen ed requirement for students and may thus be more appealing.

“Generally speaking, summer classes are appealing because of the shortened time-frame. Students are also able to retain information more readily from the first week to the last.”