Every student and teacher has likely at some point during the school year looked longingly at the calendar, hoping the days and weeks until vacation would pass more quickly. And who hasn’t stared at the clock during a long class, watching the seconds tick by? The traditional school calendar and school day schedule have been around for a long time but may no longer be effective or even necessary. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore the origins of the traditional academic schedule and toss around some different approaches. What if the school day consisted of shorter bursts of class time that lasted only 20 minutes? Would attention levels be higher? Listen on for more ideas about alternative ways to construct the school day and year and to hear the new puzzler… it’s like comparing apples and oranges.

This episode was recorded on August 10, 2016.

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