The Block Plan - One Course at a Time

Intensity: Quest University Canada teaches its courses on the innovative "block plan." Students take, and tutors teach, only one course at a time in intensive, short "blocks". Each class takes three hours per day. Each block lasts three and a half weeks; that comes out to 18 weekdays of class, for a total of 54 classroom hours per course.

At other institutions, a typical university course runs for three hours per week over 16 weeks, or 48 class hours.

The number of weeks in a semester stays the same at Quest as at regular universities. Four blocks of four weeks each (including the long weekends between courses) add up to 16-week terms. In both systems, students normally take four classes per semester.

Engagement: The one-course-at-a-time schedule gives rise to an intense engagement with the subject matter, with the tutor, and with classmates. There is no other homework - no conflicts with other classes, no hesitation over what priority to assign which assignment. The steady focus on the material means that ideas can develop day after day, without the distraction of unrelated subjects. By devoting a regular block of time every day to their one and only class, students can efficiently organize their study groups and their extracurricular activities.

Concentration: Students say they appreciate being able to concentrate on just one topic, especially when the subject matter is new to them, or if they expect it to be difficult. At other universities, many students will not risk taking a class outside their major field of interest, even one that looks interesting, for fear that it will handicap their other courses. At Quest, by contrast, the block plan allows students to explore one course at a time, and to immerse themselves in a new field without feeling penalized in the rest of their classes.

Flexibility: The 3-hour class period means that the instructor can vary the materials and the approach every day. It means there is time for a film or a demonstration. Almost every Quest class involves small-group work. Across the hall from our seminar rooms, smaller break-out rooms accommodate four or five students at a time. Typically, classes break up for a short period of small-group focus on particular exercises, and then reconvene to discuss results. This style of learning gets everyone talking and everyone involved, building teamwork and cooperation.

Field Work: The block plan makes field trips and field work much easier to schedule. If, for example, an art class wants to visit the Vancouver museum of fine arts, or if an ecology class wants to measure the flow of the Mamquam river, the instructor and the students can plan on taking the day without worrying about interference from other classes. Even longer stretches of outdoor field work - overnight excursions to nearby glaciers, for example - become possible, where they are almost unthinkable on a normal university schedule.

Off-campus opportunities: Since each block is complete in itself, the block plan means that students can take internships or volunteer work whenever the opportunity arises, and not solely in the summer. Furthermore, language learning abroad becomes possible all year round. Because of the block flexibility, Quest is also proud to be able to enrol a small number of Olympic athletes. They can attend their sports training in season, and then come to campus to continue their studies off-season.

Year-round Freedom: Ordinarily, Quest students complete four blocks each academic term, and attend two terms per calendar year. Since Quest offers terms in the fall, spring, and summer, students can choose the terms they would like to attend, or even accelerate their studies by adding a third term as well. Students must complete 32 blocks to obtain their Bachelor's degree.

For more information about the Block Plan, download our Block Plan One Sheet [PDF, 298 KB]