Intensive Learning Term (May Term)

The objectives of the Intensive Learning Program are to foster intense and purposeful faculty-student interchange and to encourage thoughtful, creative exploration of a focused topic during a time when students are enrolled in one and only one course. IL courses stimulate intellectual inquiry, call for close student/faculty collaborations, and exemplify the College's commitment to enriched and innovative academic experiences.

The Intensive Learning Program provides a distinctive learning experience in which students and faculty share academic immersion and full-time engagement with a single course.

IL courses focus on a topic in ways that are not possible during the regular academic year. First and foremost, they emphasize active student participation. How? By moving beyond lecture to involve students in activities like the following:

Beyond Lecture…

• Debate, discussion, presentations, projects.
• Labs, studio work, demos, case study.
• Field trips, field work, observation.
• Interviewing, surveys.
• Films and videos, interactive media.
• Guest speakers.
• Simulations, stagings, reenactments.

An overview of the numbers since IL began:

Year 2000
8 courses (incl. 5 abroad)
109 students

Year 2001
16 courses (incl. 5 abroad & 1 domestic travel)
234 students

Year 2002
32 courses/sections (incl. 8 abroad)
438 students

Year 2003
28 courses/sections (incl. 6 abroad)
384 students

Year 2004
31 courses/sections (incl. 8 abroad)
417 students

Year 2005
33 courses/sections (incl. 8 abroad)
423 students

Year 2006
29 courses (incl. 10 abroad)
443 students

Year 2007
26 courses/sections (incl. 11 abroad)
424 students