The Kaospilot program in Aarhus has moved its daily class hours later and cut fixed teaching time, a change students and staff say has reduced burnout.
The school previously held active class teaching from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on all five weekdays. DR reports that students now have more freedom to organize their own reading and preparation time.
The idea came from Caroline Victoria Raundahl, who has just finished the program. She told DR there had been a burnout culture among the students. Per her account, the program holds a lot of potential, but students lacked the energy and time to use it.
According to Raundahl, classes now begin at 9.30 a.m. and finish at 2.45 p.m. She said the new timetable accommodates several different daily rhythms. In Danish, early risers are called A-mennesker and late risers B-mennesker.
The change is one of the more concrete examples of a Danish school adjusting its timetable to student sleep patterns. It applies to the Kaospilot training program in Aarhus, not to higher education in Denmark more broadly.
School and expert point to sleep and energy
Alexandra Hasdorf, team leader at Kaospiloterne, said the adjustment has had a positive effect on the students. As reported by DR, she said they feel they have more capacity, more energy and are more ready to take in learning.
Hasdorf also said each student can now work in the way that is most effective for them individually. She said that this would be a gain at their future workplaces as well.
Camilla Kring, an engineer and expert on the human circadian rhythm, said she was not surprised by the effect. According to Kring, virtually all young people are late risers. She said a later start gives them more sleep, and with it more energy and better learning.
Kring told DR it therefore makes sense to change what she calls the time architecture, so that it supports human biology. DR has previously reported on her argument that a society built around a workday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. does not suit everyone.
The Kaospilot program is a private education based in Aarhus, training students in project management and process design. Raundahl completed the program shortly before the schedule change was reported.
According to DR, both the school, the expert and the student point to the same conclusion. They say there is a clear benefit in taking human biology into account at an educational institution. No other Danish news outlets have reported on the change.
Students on the program are still expected to attend scheduled teaching, but with fewer fixed hours across the week. The remaining time is set aside for reading and preparation that students plan themselves.
