With the end of the school year in sight, students are already making plans for the summer. For those who are looking to spend some extra time in the classroom, U of M Summer Session 2010 will open registration on March 22.

Bill Kops, director of Summer Session, said that his office is expecting 7,500 students, or 13,000 registrations, this summer.

This year, there are 539 course selections, according to Kops. He said the number of courses has increased since last year.

“The faculties offering the most courses are arts, education, science and management. The departments offering the most courses are psychology, educational administration, foundations and psychology, curriculum, teaching and learning, environment and geography,” he said.
Rather than taking a break from the classroom, many professors choose to teach throughout the summer.

According to a recent survey cited by Kops, the professors’ top three incentives include “an opportunity to teach a course they do not ordinarily teach in the fall and winter terms, an opportunity to earn extra income and a preference for teaching smaller classes in Summer Session.”

Jenifer Mohammed, an English professor, has been teaching Summer Session for about five years.
“I enjoy teaching in the summer, as the students tend to be very focused and disciplined, as often they are working and only taking one course or two over the summer,” said Mohammed.
“Students tend to put off their English course until the summer, when they have more time to concentrate on the work. That usually results in them having greater success in the course,” she said.

George Maclean, professor and department head of political studies is looking forward to teaching summer courses this year after taking a number of years off. As Maclean will be teaching the Intro to Politics class next fall, he said teaching the summer session first will prove beneficial.
“I have some new materials for this course, and a smaller group of students will give me better initial feedback than a larger section.”

Maclean said summer courses are different than regular sessions, because professors are teaching every day.

“There are both pros and cons with that [ . . . ] Students get their classes in a short period of time, which means the material is fresh in their minds every day. It can be a challenge though,” he said.
Maclean said professors might also find themselves with hectic summer schedules.
“It’s a balancing act to manage teaching, research and writing, and administrative work over the summer term,” said Maclean.

“I enjoy teaching, and four months between courses can be a long time.”

Some U of M students are registering for Summer Session as a way to keep their options open when it comes to choosing a major.

“I’m taking Death and Concepts of the Future because it’s a religion course and I’m thinking about majoring in religion now [ . . . ]. I changed my idea of my major a few times,” said U1 student Delta Hirsch.

Marty Szylkin, a U1 student, said he would consider enrolling.

“I only took four courses each term. I would just want to pick up on more credits”. 
Students can register using Aurora Student. Registration will remain open from March 22 until the start date of the course. Courses begin on May 3 for Spring Session, and June 28 for Summer Session.

The 2010 Summer Session Calendar is available online and at various locations on campus, including the Summer Session offices, located in 188 Extended Education.