Nearly half of students would welcome shake up to traditional degree

Nearly half of students (46%) would be interested in a ‘condensed’ timetable for their degree, meaning the same number of hours are taught over fewer days per week, rather than a five-day schedule, according to new research.

In response to the needs of today’s student, Kaplan Holborn College - an alternative higher-education provider based in central London - has launched a new range of two-day timetables for full degree courses awarded by Anglia Ruskin University, to give students more flexibility in their studies.

Research conducted amongst current sixth-form students to mark the launch of the condensed timetable courses also showed willingness to adapt to more innovative approaches to teaching, with 87% agreeing that they would benefit from having part of their course delivered online. Over a third (37%) believe that the best use of online content would be the ability to re-watch it for revision purposes, which was more than double any other response for more practical reasons, such as getting a part time job or saving money on travel costs to lectures.

The research comes at a time when universities, and the degrees they offer, are under the spotlight by students for their value for money and the employability prospects they provide.

The new classes are condensed into two days per week, giving students five days in which they can undertake independent study and engage in extra-curricular activities, which will both enhance their skill-set and allow them to gain industry experience within the capital. Students are informed which two days every week the course will be taught at the outset, so that they can make other arrangements with the certainty that they will not have to change them every semester.

Alongside the face-to-face seminars, lectures which students watch before each seminar are available online, providing more focused, personal instruction and interaction in class. The approach is designed to offer convenient, high quality learning in a manner that suits the needs of today’s students.

Jenny Birch, Head of Kaplan Holborn College commented: “At Kaplan Holborn College, we’re very aware of the needs of our students. As a smaller institution we’re more able to adapt to fit those needs, rather than students having to arrange their lives around their studies. We are pleased to be able to respond to our students’ need for flexible tuition, with our new two-day timetables, the same content and resulting in the same degree as previously. We believe these courses will allow our students to use their time more effectively and utilise opportunities to develop skills outside of their degree studies, ultimately making them more employable after they graduate.”

Dujon Desagurante, a BA Business Management with Finance student at Kaplan Holborn College added, “With the employment market becoming increasingly competitive, our needs and expectations as students have changed significantly over the past few years. The two-day timetable is a sensible move and will help us to make the most of learning in London. By condensing my taught hours into a few days, it will give me the opportunity to expand my CV, gaining essential work experience needed to stand out from the crowd.”

Two-day timetables are running on all undergraduate degree programmes taught at Kaplan Holborn College awarded by Anglia Ruskin University from September 2014.

To find out more, visit holborncollege.ac.uk.