OTC offering classes for night owls

Welcome to late night at Ozarks Technical Community College.

For the first time, the college will be offering classes that begin at 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.

Reita Gorman, dean of general education, said the idea was prompted when she noticed the students living in her same apartment complex were “just getting started when I was going to bed.”

“I thought we might need to offer late night classes for students who don’t get started until 10. When I asked students in my class about the idea, they were all over it,” she said.

English composition, Algebra and Theatre classes will be offered this spring at either 10 p.m. or 11:30 p.m. in the Norman K. Myers Technical Education Center, with classes in other subjects expected to be added for spring.

Gorman said the late-night schedule takes advantage of classrooms that are filled to capacity during the day but sit empty late at night. The classes also accommodate those students who work a late shift.

 “We’re going to throw it out there and see how it works,” Gorman said, adding that eventually she expects every department to begin offering late-night classes.

Jessica Hyatt will be teaching the 11:30 class. It’s her first late-night class although she’s taught early-morning classes that began at 6:30.

“I’m a night owl so I was eager to volunteer to teach. The students in the 6:30 class who were genuinely morning people really liked having class that early and were quite successful,” Hyatt said.

“I would say that students signing up for a class at an unusual time should really think about it — not just about whether they can be there at that time of day, but whether they really want to be there.”

To register for these classes offerings or others, visit www.otc.edu.

Steve Koehler is coordinator of publications at Ozarks Technical Community College. Contact him at koehlers@otc.edu.