Owensboro, Ky. – Kentucky Wesleyan College is embarking on a major campus upgrade that will reshape how students learn. Beginning this fall, the school will remodel 40 classrooms, swapping traditional rows of desks for mobile round tables that seat up to six students. The changes are part of a broader effort to foster collaborative, active learning environments.
Renovation details
The college estimates a cost of about $25,000 per classroom, bringing the total to nearly $1 million. The first renovated spaces will open in the Barnard‑Jones Administration Building in fall 2027. Each room will feature mobile round tables, additional technology, whiteboards, and a mobile cart that replaces the fixed teaching podium.
Curriculum shift
Alongside the physical upgrades, Kentucky Wesleyan will transition its course credit system from three‑credit to four‑credit classes starting fall 2027. Students will take three or four classes per term instead of the current five or six, while faculty will maintain the same overall credit load, typically preparing for three classes each semester.
Interim President Dr. Stephen Germic explained that the four‑credit model mirrors practices at other institutions that have reported higher student success rates. He emphasized that graduation requirements will remain unchanged.
Pilot program
The college will also pilot a “one‑class‑at‑a‑time” scheduling experiment, enrolling about 70 students in the fall. Participants will focus on a single course each day, spending extended periods in the classroom to deepen engagement.
Funding and future plans
While the college has received its first gift from Boardwalk to launch the renovation, additional fundraising will be needed to complete the project. Officials hope to renovate another 15 to 20 classrooms next summer, with the goal of finishing the entire campus transformation within two years.
Community members, alumni, local businesses, and other partners are being asked to support the effort, ensuring that Kentucky Wesleyan can provide a modern, collaborative learning environment for its students and faculty.
Original reporting: 14 News WFIE Evansville (news) — read the source article.
