Summer at Michigan State University doesn’t always mean it’s time for summer vacation. As degree requirements become more demanding, many students enroll in the university’s summer sessions as a way to get ahead or stay on track to graduate.
Skylar Austell, a senior at MSU, is taking online courses this summer so that she can graduate in August.
“Without the opportunity to take the classes, I would have had to do a whole other semester just for two classes,” she said.
Both of her classes are online classes, giving her the opportunity to go home or travel for job interviews without missing school.
“The flexibility of having classes online allows me to breath a bit and focus as I prepare to transition into postgraduate life,” Austell said. “I have friends who are from out of state and took online classes over the summer.”
Adding, “without that opportunity, I’m sure the stress of graduating on time would have been greater.”
Christopher Kaifesh, a junior at MSU, is also taking online classes this summer. Being a double major and minor, taking classes during the summer is imperative if he wants to keep up with his requirements.
“As a dancer and theater kid, I am constantly at rehearsals or auditions,” he said. “Online classes give him the ability to do his lessons and work when it fits in his schedule, instead of at a designated lecture time.”
“I don’t have to worry about whether an audition is going to interfere with a rehearsal,” Kaifesh said. “If I know I have rehearsal all night, I plan out my class work accordingly.”
Most online classes at MSU are hosted through the platform Desire2Learn, which allows each class to have their own section where students can access coursework, lectures, quizzes, drop boxes and anything else needed for an online class to function. The platform also provides its own email service so students can interact with instructors.