Winterim Term at ILCC

Morgan Larson, Writer

The Fall 2020 semester is coming to an end, and Iowa Lakes Community College (ILCC) is preparing for the next phase of their educational cycle. The Winterim Term. What exactly is the “Winterim Term” and what are the benefits and risks of pursuing it?  To many students, ILCC’s Winterim Term offers them a chance to get ahead or hit the “redo” button on any available course for their program.  

Imagine yourself taking on the Winterim Term. How do you think you would do? To help grasp the term “Winterim”, two ILCC facility members, Laura Howard and Barb Houseman, took the time to explain and give their opinions on the Winterim Term.  

As Distance Learning facility members, Laura Howard and Barb Houseman are the ideal duo who are there to provide any help, guidance, and assistance about any distance learning options at ILCC or, in this case, the Winterim Term. 

Laura Howard is the Distance Learning Operations Supervisor; her job is to oversee the ILCC Online Learning Department at Iowa Lakes.

Barb Houseman is a Distance Learning Associate at ILCC; she helps with online course registrations and outreach to students taking the online courses.

In their professional opinion, Howard and Houseman consider ILCC’s Winterim Term to be beneficial for students to consider taking during the winter break.  

“The Winterim term allows students to take an online class during their break between semesters. One of the biggest pro’s of this term is that it allows students to lighten their course load for their Spring semester.” said Howard. “Some students use it to retake a class to better their GPA or fill a pre-requisite requirement.” 

Houseman adds, “It allows students to pick up some credits over their Winter break from school since many of the larger colleges have a long Winter Break, this is a great option for them.” 

For students, this may be the ideal option for bumping that GPA and, as mentioned, “lighten the load” for future course work. It seems like a great way to get your diploma faster! Unfortunately, Winterim Term can pose some concerns with its benefits. Howard and Houseman touch on a few drawbacks of taking the Winterim Term.

Howard says, “We are limited to the number of courses we offer to our students in the Winterim Term since it is a shortened term, not all courses can fit into this time frame.”  “Another con is that this term runs over a few Holidays (i.e., Christmas, New Years, etc.), so students need to be extra cautious of their time management to make sure they are still getting their work done on time.”  

Houseman adds, “The Winterim courses are sixteen weeks’ worth of work put into four weeks…this means that there is not any downtime in the course.” Houseman continues, “Because of this format, it does make it hard for anyone with other responsibilities, such as jobs, to take a course. It is, in a sense, a full-time job itself.” There is a huge commitment to the course.

Winterim Term depends on the students themselves. If a student thinks they can measure the benefits over the risks, Winterim would be the perfect option. It ultimately comes down to the students and their ability to manage this intensive crash course term.  

With that in mind, how do students handle the pressure of the Winterim if they decided to take it? Howard and Houseman give their take on what they see and feel from that perspective. 

“We try to be very upfront with the amount of how much time students will need to spend in their Winterim Courses each week.” said Howard. “The course is condensed to cover four week of content each week to accommodate a 16 week class; therefore, we only allow students to register for one Winterim course.” She adds that most students who take a Winterim class are prepared for the time constraint, and they will plan and organize each week accordingly.

Houseman has not observed any outcome from the student’s point of view. “I have to be honest in that I don’t see the result once they have registered.” said Houseman. “We do make clear with the student the commitment that is required when they sign up. Another safeguard is that students can only take one Winterim course.”

This intensive time constraining time can pose many viewpoints that may or may not significantly impact student enrollment for the term. With this year hit by COVID-19, Houseman and Howard see some fluctuation in the Winterim enrollment.

Houseman has seen an increase in enrollment, “It seems this year that we do have more students enrolling due to the fact that many four-year colleges are having an extended Winter Break due to COVID-19.” said Houseman. “In other years, I don’t think that there is necessarily a determining factor.”

Houseman goes on to say, “It may depend on who may need to take a course for credit recovery, or they may have gotten out of sequence in a term. There are a limited number of courses that are offered. An example would be that there are no science courses with a lab offered during the Winterim.”

Howard believes that enrollment has fluctuated from the students’ point of view. Howard had this to say, “We have seen a steady increase in Winterim enrollment over the last couple years,” said Howard. “I personally believe students like the Winterim term to lighten their Spring course load.”

Regardless of the scrunch time and the student benefits the Winterim can impose on a student, do ILCC professors benefit from this term? Both Houseman and Howard believe that everyone involved receives positive feedback from the Winterim. 

Houseman lists the mentioned benefits of the Winterim as core influences on both students and professors alike. She says, “As far as the “time crunch”, that is a given when a student signs up for it, so their mindset should be that it is going to be a lot of work in a short period of time.” Houseman adds, “We offer the same course framework in the Summer as well. Meaning that we have one four-week session at that time too.”

Howard strongly believes in the Winterim for students. She goes on to say, “If it wasn’t, students wouldn’t be registering for it. Students aren’t required to take a Winterim class; it is only an option if they feel it is the right fit for them.” 

Howard believes that instructors are influenced in the Winterim, “Instructors are also not required to teach a Winterim course.” Howard adds, “They have the opportunity to choose whether they want to teach a section or not. So if they choose yes, they are well informed about the time, they will need to spend grading and answering student questions each week.”

Does the Winterim Term sound like a potential option for you? Do you believe you can outweigh the risks with the benefits? Whether you are a student who is looking to fill a pre-requites or a professor who is willing to instruct a highly time intensive course during a busy time of year, the Winterim Term provides opportunities for anyone involved.  The facility at the Distance Learning Department at ILCC is willing and able to help you through all the way. The Winterim Term poses as an additional step to gaining your degree at ILCC.