Why Ensign College Is Transforming Its Academic Calendar

This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Rachel Sterzer Gibson, Church News

Drivers traveling Salt Lake City’s major interstate recently might have noticed billboards announcing Ensign College’s latest innovation.

On May 5, Ensign College will revamp its entire academic calendar, transitioning from a traditional 14-week semester to seven-week blocks.

The change will be a big one, Ensign College President Bruce C. Kusch said. “But we’re confident it will be a positive one.”

Administrators hope the new seven-week block system will provide more flexibility while improving the student experience.

During an interview with the Church News, President Kusch was quick to note this modification is not an experiment. It comes after several years of development, including extensive research and a pilot program.

Over the past two years, the college has already transitioned many of its online courses to seven-week blocks to fit with the calendaring for BYU–Pathway Worldwide, its partner and sister organization within the Church Educational System.

As they considered extending that timetable to the school’s in-person Salt Lake City campus courses, President Kusch said, he sent a team to visit other schools across the country that had implemented the seven-week schedule.

“To a school, they said, ‘We only have one regret with this. We wish we would have done this sooner,’” President Kusch related.

For example, one of the schools they visited, Chattanooga State Community College, transitioned to a seven-week term in 2017 and recently reported a 7.1% increase in its retention rate, or the percentage of first-year students who return to the institution the next year. The community college also reported a jump in credit completion rates — students who complete the course and earn credit — which rose from 54.6% to 66.4% between fall 2020 and fall 2023, an almost 12% increase.

Those areas of increase are also areas of focus for Ensign College, which often caters to nontraditional students or adult learners who often also work and balance family responsibilities. “We’re concerned about completion, we’re concerned about retention, we’re concerned about student achievement,” President Kusch said.

Benefits of a 7-week Block

Administrators and faculty have been preparing for the shift for more than a year and redesigning almost all of its courses.

President Kusch explained that courses are not being split but are being adapted to fit the same curriculum into seven weeks. The move will require some adjustments to how much time is spent in class but will involve both in-person class time and online instruction.

The idea is that students will focus on one or two courses during a block, rather than four or five courses during a semester.

Shorter blocks with fewer courses encourage students to focus better, leading to higher completion rates and higher achievement, President Kusch said.

Also, instead of three or four semesters during the year, the academic calendar will consist of six seven-week blocks, with a week or two break between.

Several published studies show that students in a shorter version of a course have less burnout and higher grades. One study showed that drop rates were three times higher for students in an 18-week version of an online general education course rather than a six- or nine-week version taught by the same instructor (Diaz and Cartnal 2006)​​.

Students in block sections of BYU–Pathway have also been shown to earn higher grades and have reported similar learning gains, course/instructor ratings and satisfaction score than students enrolled in traditional semester courses, according to an Ensign College press release.

President Kusch said they think the seven-week block will also be helpful and provide greater flexibility to adult learners who are trying to juggle work, family and school. It could also benefit returned missionaries, who will have the opportunity to get back into school quicker, rather than waiting for the end of a semester. “We want to make it as easy as possible for someone to come and have the Ensign College experience,” President Kusch said.

The school has been conducting a pilot phase of the block system. During this winter semester, roughly 200 courses were offered in the seven-week schedule.

“Generally, the feedback from students is very positive,” President Kusch reported.

Schekina Boumba, a digital marketing student who has been participating in the advance pilot, said she appreciates the changes to her workload. “This is actually better than semesters because I only have two classes. I don’t have to worry about completing assignments from four or five different classes,” Boumba said in the press release.

Said President Kusch, “We believe this change will bless our students and provide them with an even greater ability to balance their education, work and personal responsibilities. At the end of the day, it is all about helping students achieve, succeed and graduate.”

Download Photo

About Ensign College

Ensign College offers certificates that can be earned in two semesters, associate degrees that can be earned in two years and a limited number of Bachelor of Applied Science degrees.

Church commissioner of education Elder Clark G. Gilbert, a General Authority Seventy, has referred to Ensign College as the “applied curriculum developer” of the Church Educational System.

In other words, its purpose is to provide enough education to students to get their first job and an understanding of how to get their second job — meaning all the curriculum is applied or practical.

“Our focus is preparing students for the workforce of today and tomorrow. We only teach skills that lead to jobs, and we do it in a spiritually nourishing environment,” said President Kusch.

In October of 2024, the school reported record enrollment, a 4.5% increase in on-campus enrollment in fall 2024 over last year, which Guy Hollingsworth, Ensign College’s vice president of college and student services, attributed in part to the school’s retention efforts.

“We believe in personalized support. Our retention efforts are focused on understanding each student’s unique needs and providing tailored resources to help them succeed,” said Hollingsworth.

Ensign College is the smallest of the institutions within the CES entities, but that helps it be innovative, President Kusch said of change to the academic calendar. “We’re small, we’re nimble. We can be very flexible, very responsive. That’s just become part of the institutional  NA at Ensign College.”

Ensign College Enrollment 2024

• Domestic students come from 15 Utah counties and 37 U.S. states.
• 44% of students are international and represent 76 countries.
• Ensign’s student population is 35% first generation.
• 60% of students are non-traditional (24 or older).
• The average degree-specific class size is 15 students.

Copyright 2025 Deseret News Publishing Company.