The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the application of the concept of the short instructional term, which may occur either as a break in the schedule in the middle of courses, or as a break in the schedule after the completion of a series of courses-for example, a "May Term" at the end of the year or a "Winter Term" inserted between the two semesters of a 4/4 semester plan. For the duration of these short terms the daily course schedule is suspended, yet students still attend school and participate in a variety of activities. In this chapter, special instructional terms can be as short as one day or as long as 30.1 Such breaks have long been part of college schedules and are often part of the schedule of independent preparatory schools and military academies.