This system provides the greatest flexibility for professors to
match their meeting periods with the structure of the course, creating the best
learning environment for the students. Some courses do better maintaining a
daily continuity. Others require more processing time.
1.
Two 16 week terms.
Each term is divided into two 8 week midterm sessions.
2. Daily Periods:
Days are divided into the following periods:
8:00 - 9:00
9:00 - 10:00
10:00 - 11:00
11:00 - 12:00
11:00 - 12:30
12:30 - 2:00
2:00 - 3:30
3:30 - 5:00
3. Course Meeting Schedules:
4 HR. COURSES CAN MEET:
3 days/week, for an hour, using one 8-12 hourly slot.
2 days/week for 1.5 hrs, using one of the later slots
or
4 days/wk for 1.5 hrs, using one of the later slots.
*** These classes will last for only 8 weeks.***
2 HR. COURSES CAN MEET:
1 day/week for 1.5 hrs, using one of the later slots
or
2 days/wk for 1.5 hrs, using one of the later slots.
*** These classes will last for only 8 weeks.***
THUS, A 4 CREDIT COURSE MEETS FOR 48 LECTUE HRS. THIS IS FAR
MORE CONSISTENT WITH MOST OTHER SCHOOLS THAN OUR CURRENT REQUIREMENT OF 56
CONTACT HRS. MOST COURSES WILL BE 4 HR, SEMESTER LONG COURSES.
4, Student Loads:
Students would typically take 16-18 hrs. of course credit per semester. They
would be able to overload for 20 hrs. in a semester ONLY if in good academic
standing. All grades would be finalized at the end of each semester, even for 8
week courses.
5. Teaching Loads:
Professors would typically teach 20 hrs. over the course of a year, as
currently arranged by department.
B. Justifications:
1. Why the split-semester system?
This system provides the greatest flexibility for professors to
match their meeting periods with the structure of the course, creating the best
learning environment for the students. Some courses do better maintaining a
daily continuity. Others require more processing time.
In addition, this system allows for international travel opportunities of
either a full semester or ½ semester. If students go on international travel
for two courses for ½ a semester (equivalent to many of our existing Winter
Term programs), they will pick up their other two courses when they return.
Likewise, professors who teach an international travel program will be able to
teach when they return an will not need to overload their other semester to
fill their load.
Finally, the split-semester allows for the development of new
novel experiences at any time in the academic year, not just in a Jan-term or
May-mester. Coupled with the 2 hr. option, these
experimental courses should be both attractive to take and attractive to offer.
We need to break to yoke of the 4 credit course - some information/topics parse
in smaller increments.
2. Why the rigid daily schedule? (Or, why can't I offer my 1.5
hour class in the morning?)
At a school our size, it is important to impose some
restrictions on course time offerings to minimize scheduling conflicts. There
are a number of ways to do this. Many schools have hour-long classes M,W,F, and
1.5 hour classes T, TH. However, this would not allow for the "half-term
class" as easily, because you cannot increase the number of contact hours
per week without increasing the probability of scheduling conflicts. In other
words, to create a half-term class that meets four days for 1.5 hours, it would
not only meet on T, TH but also on M,W, or F. This would likely conflict with
hourly classes meeting those days. So, with the split-term schedule, conflict
is minimize and course flexibility is increased by locking in daily periods.
The only overlap is in the 11-12 hour.
Also, this allows professors to meet their hourly classes on any
days they like during that hour (M,W,F or M,T,W). This might be very attractive
for many courses where a large reading/writing block of free time is allocated,
and then sequential analysis classes that dissect student work in three
consecutive days - maintaining continuity.
So, this system maximizes the flexibility in the length of the
class (7.5 weeks or 15 weeks), the length of each class period (1 or 1.5 hrs),
and the days on which the class meets (maximizing continuity or processing
time). However, to minimize course conflicts and to maximize the number of
classes available to students, the time the course is offered becomes somewhat
restricted.
C. How Might This Work?
1. Student Load:
Students would typically take four 4 hr. courses in a semester. These might be
all semester long courses, or they might take three semester long courses and a
half-term course, or two semester-long courses and two half-term courses.
Students will be prohibited from taking more than 2 half-term, 4 hr. courses
simultaneously.
2. Faculty Load:
The typical 20 credit hour load could be divided a number of ways. Typically,
this might be two 4 hr. courses in one term and three in the other. Remember,
however, that these courses will meet only 2 or three times each week. Or,
professors might teach 2 4 hr. courses and a seminar course each semester. In
addition, some of these courses might be half-term classes. However, even in a
half-term course, class will not be expected to meet every day (as in the
current winter term). That is why a 16 week semester is required - we do not
want to simply quadruple the winter term experience!!
3. It seems too complicated….
Well, it is. But it is also flexible. The goal is to give faculty the ability
to teach courses in the way that maximizes learning efficiency for that course.
It is unlikely that a single calendar model can do that. In addition, the goal
is to impose some structure on when courses are offered to give students the
greatest opportunity to take the courses they need and desire without
scheduling conflicts.
The complexity can be relieved in the following way:
- Pre-registration and registration is conducted on a SEMESTER
basis. Students would register for their "half-term" courses at that
time, as well, so all students have their entire semester mapped out.
- Courses would each carry a designation for when they are offered:
"1", "2" for semester-long courses, and "1a" or
"1b" for half-term courses.
- Courses would also carry designations for the skills and content areas that
they each cover.
Posted by love at
September 17, 2004 04:42 PM
Discuss
this proposal in the forum, or leave a comment below!
I really like this idea-- it allows for much more freedom (both
faculty and student) in designing courses/schedules. I think it is hard to
argue against a plan that accomodates individual
needs so flexibly. I have one minor question concerning labs: would they occur
during afternoons as either 2 or 3 hour periods (as they do now). Would there
need to be set times? Would labs be possible in 4 credit, 8 week courses?
Posted by:
Judy Grisel
at February 18, 2005 11:31 AM