This article appears for archival purposes. Any events, programs and/or initiatives mentioned may no longer be applicable.
Students who wish to complete a 4-year Business degree, whether they start at a community college or a university, must successfully pass a sequence of courses in accounting. Unless the student is an actual accounting major and thus likely has a passion for the topic, conquering the mandatory Financial Accounting (ACC 211) and Managerial Accounting (ACC 212) duo can seem like a significant challenge.
Starting with its Fall 2020 semester, Scottsdale Community College (SCC) is offering a special 8-week block semester scheduling option for its popular Associate of Business (ABUS) degree designed to help ensure greater student outcomes. Numerous research studies*, based on other U.S. colleges that have implemented a shorter 8-week schedule, have demonstrated improved retention, GPA scores and overall completion rates.
Accounting courses are sequential. Students are required to take Financial Accounting first as this is a prerequisite for Managerial Accounting, which by default means students will be studying over at least two semesters. With the 8-week block scheduling, students can now complete both accounting classes in one traditional 16-week session.
Sue Sandblom, SCC Business faculty and chair, helped craft the new 8-week block schedule option. She said “By taking both required accounting courses in the same semester, key concepts will be fresher in students’ minds, and we anticipate higher completion outcomes. Students can now fulfill this required course sequence quicker at SCC.”
SCC has transfer partnerships with Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, Grand Canyon University, and many others. Students attending any of these institutions can take the accounting sequence at SCC and transfer the credits into their existing program.
| SCC | SUN # | ASU | NAU | UofA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACC 211 | 2201 | ACC 231 | ACC 255 | ACCT 200 |
| ACC 212 | 2202 | ACC 241 | ACC 256 | ACCT 210 |
Those who wish to enroll in the 8-week block schedule accounting classes during SCC’s Spring 2021 semester should sign up for these sections:
- ACC 211 - Section #27678 - Online - 1/19/2021 - 3/12/2021
- ACC 212 - Section #39850 - Online - 3/22/2021 - 5/14/2020
SCC students also have access to the Accounting & Statistics Learning Center which provides free tutoring services.
For more information about SCC’s Business degree and certificate programs, please visit the Business Department.
* The third-party research studies listed below have shown positive outcomes of an 8-week schedule:
- Geltner, P., and Ruth Logan. “The Influence of Session Length on Student Success.” 2010. Santa Monica College. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267544985_The_Influence_of_Ses…
- Gamboa, Benjamin. “Impact of Course Length on and Subsequent Use as a Predictor of Course Success.” 2013. Crafton Hills College.
- Wyatt, Joe “Student Success on the Rise thanks to AC’s 8-week Class Model.” 2016. Amarillo College.
- Austin Community College. “Austin Community College Eight-Week Course Feedback Survey.” 1998. Austin Community College Website.
- Odessa College. “Odessa College named finalist for THECB 2017 Star Award.” 2017. Odessa College Website. https://www.odessa.edu/
- Veneskey, Kevin. “Eight-Week Semesters as the Default.” Innovation Day Pitch Letter— Inaugural Event. 2017.
- Ivy Tech Community College, Spring 2016-Spring 2017. Chronicle of Higher Education.