Block Scheduling Fixes Class Issues

Photo Illustration by Jorge Campos / el Don

By Edson Valenzuela

Starting this summer, Santa Ana College will implement a new way of scheduling classes. A block schedule means all courses of the same duration will begin and end simultaneously, making it easier for students to register for multiple classes in a single day.

The college is attempting to limit the amount of time students wait between classes along with standardizing the hours when instruction is offered.

Department chairs and administrators determine when instruction begins. This often results in overlap between required courses.

SAC Vice President of Academic Affairs Omar Torres has implemented block scheduling, calling it a comprehensive change across all of the programs in an effort to better serve the students of Santa Ana College.

Sophomore Jazmin Vergara encountered issues when registering for classes at SAC, with conflicting times hampering her ability to add a class on more than one occasion.

“When I was applying for this semester I was originally going to take an art course to get started on my major courses, but it interfered with one of my general eds. So I had to drop that class,” Vergara said.

Block scheduling dictates specific times when courses are scheduled. The time slots are related to how many units a course is as well as total weekly instruction minutes.

Other colleges in Orange County have a similar system. Fullerton College Vice President of Instruction Jose Ramon describes it as general practice for most colleges in the area.

Mt. San Antonio College Dean Jouana Millers feels SAC is late to the party.

“We’ve been on block scheduling for years. I think Santa Ana College is a little behind on that,” said Millers.

Adjustment to the hours of operations for the student learning center, the math center, or the child development center has yet to be announced. Torres said there is enough monies allocated “through some of the state-wide funding we’ve received,” specifically for extending hours of student service centers in response to the new schedule.