Published Studies

Research indicates that moving to a block schedule leads to a better student experience.

• Students had higher retention and completion rates (Sloan 2017; (Diaz and Cartnal 2006); Durdella and Durdella 2009)​ 
• Students experienced increased learning gains, higher grades, and higher pass rates (Sloan 2017; Gamboa 2013; Durdella and Durdella 2009; Austin and Gustafson 2006; Logan and Geltner 2000)​ 
• Students performed equally well in later courses (Logan and Geltner 2000)​ 
• Lower-performing students benefited more than higher-performing students (Logan and Geltner 2000) 
• Students fared better in shorter versions of gateway and developmental courses (Sloan 2017)​ 
• Shifting 80% of courses to a block format resulted in increased enrollments of first-time and disadvantaged part-time students, faster pacing, and a 40% increase in the number of students taking 12 or more credits in their first semester (Odessa College 2017) ​ 
• Drop rates were 3-times higher for students in 18-week versions (vs 6 and 9-week versions) of an online GE course taught by the same instructor (Diaz and Cartnal 2006)​​ 

Visits to Other Institutions

After reviewing the research above and seeing the benefits of block courses for Ensign students served by BYU-Pathway Worldwide, Ensign College conducted site visits to campus-based institutions in several states that switched from semester-based to block-based schedules.

We visited a variety of schools (2-year, 4-year, public, private) that have implemented block courses in different ways. These schools confirmed that in their experience, the outcomes for the institution and for students paralleled the findings listed above.

In these visits, we examined course scheduling, advising models, and other logistical requirements of transitioning to block courses. The overarching sentiment from these institutions is that the transition from semesters to blocks has benefited students and the institution as a whole and that they would make the same decision again to transition to blocks. We are modeling our approach to 7-week face-to-face instruction and seat time on the recommendations of schools that have made this change.

BYU-Pathway Worldwide

While we work closely with BYU-Pathway Worldwide, the decision to move to 7-week blocks on campus was made independently of our relationship with BYU-Pathway. We anticipate that the change will directly improve student outcomes, allowing us to better serve students and fulfill our mission.

Ensign College has already transitioned many of our courses to the 7-week block in the BYU-Pathway ecosystem. Block courses have proven especially beneficial for students in the BYU-Pathway ecosystem, as many of them take one or two classes at a time. Students who continue to take one or two classes at a time in the block will graduate much faster. For our campus students, we do not expect a dramatic decrease in time to degree (or certificate), as most of our students are full-time.

Additional findings from 7-week block courses in the BYU-Pathway environment mirrored those mentioned above and include the following:

• Students in block sections of PathwayConnect earned higher final grades and reported similar learning gains, course/instructor ratings, and satisfaction scores 
• Block retention rates in PathwayConnect were 91.2% compared to 74.8% for semester courses 
• Academic performance, throughput, course ratings, and perceived learning were comparable to semester-length courses