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 Many people will be shopping. Others will be wrapping gifts. And at Greenville Technical College, some people will spend part of the holidays earning college credit thanks to a popular option that allows students to quickly complete condensed courses in art history, microeconomics, English, film, geography, history, statistics, psychology, and theatre.While three of these holiday courses are offered online, many of the others begin on December 12 and end on December 30, with several days off in between. It�s an intense schedule, but one that allows students from Greenville Tech and those home on break from four-year colleges and universities to make efficient use of a vacation. According to Greenville Tech�s Vice President for Education Steve Valand, the option was created to allow students to get ahead during what would otherwise be downtime. �These classes are the most focused format we offer. They streamline the educational process so that students can take a class or two over the holidays and go into Spring Semester that much ahead,� Valand says. Currently, 124 students are enrolled in nine courses. Art History and Appreciation, an online offering, is full. Several others are nearly full. Geography Instructor Nick Hill has taught holiday classes for two years. He believes the classes are a strong option for Greenville Tech students along with those who attend college elsewhere. �I think it is a good option for students enrolled at other colleges and are back in the area for the holidays who just need to get a few more elective credits or fulfill a requirement in a short period of time. Most of my students, however, have been Greenville Tech students who see it as a constructive way to use the extra time they have between semesters,� he says. �They still have substantial time off for Christmas and New Year�s holidays, so it doesn�t completely shoot one�s vacation.� Shannon O�Bryan, a history instructor, taught holiday classes last year and plans to teach �Nonwestern Civilizations� this year. O�Bryan feels the classes are important in meeting community needs. �At Greenville Technical College, we have an enormous responsibility in the community, which includes offering non-traditional classes to cater to the needs of a hugely diverse community in which we live and operate,� he says. �Students who are between semesters, from numerous colleges across the United States and the surrounding area, those who need to complete more hours in the Fall Semester (to graduate or transfer) than realistically possible, and those professions that offer holiday breaks or working students who can take holiday vacations are prime candidates for these fast-paced courses.� (Image provided by Greenville Tech.)
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