Switch to semesters splits students, faculty
By Emily Hubbell, Campus Life writer
April 17, 2007 | 12:10 p.m.
This summer, the Task Force on the Calendar and System will recommend either a switch to a semester system or a continuation of Ohio University’s quarter setup. With the committee’s decision approaching rapidly, students and faculty have begun taking sides.
The Background
The recent clamor for a switch to semesters is not a new phenomenon. A committee has reviewed the issue three times since 1990, including this academic year.
Since the last committee hearing in 1996, the academic climate has shifted.
Explains Task Force chair Phyllis Bernt, "In 1996, of the thirteen state-assisted institutions, four were on the semester system and nine used quarters. Ten years later, the reverse is true."
With this change in mind, OU President Roderick McDavis charged the Task Force on the Academic Calendar and System to examine the university’s quarterly calendar system.
Of our surrounding universities, only Kent State, University of Cincinnati and Ohio State still operate under the quarter system.
Less is More
Task Force committee member and English chair Joseph McLaughlin sums up the argument for semesters in one simple analogy. "Imagine for one moment that we are all cars. Any mechanic would tell you that the roughest miles on a car are city miles that bring constant starting and stopping. On the quarter system, we have more stops. We are making things unnecessarily hard on ourselves."
As a member of the Task Force, McLaughlin is in the process of researching both systems, and has not yet formed a final opinion on the subject. Still, he does commend the semester system for a few main points. "Under the quarter system our summer is much shorter (than under the semester system), allowing faculty less time for research." He adds that the university’s extended winter break is still not very useful in terms of faculty scholarship.
As for class itself, McLaughlin maintains that "students have more time to read on semesters and graduate students have more time to write."
As a member of the English department, he values "long, uninterrupted periods of time for research," which would be more available under semesters.
Susan Sarnoff, co-chair of the Academic Integrity Committee, agrees that the semester system has a lot to offer students academically. "In terms of plagiarism in writing, semesters give students fewer excuses," comments Sarnoff. "Especially for written assignments, the compact nature of quarters makes it a challenge to find students with difficulties and to turn those difficulties around."
Sarnoff explains that a semester system provides students with more time to find academic help and allows them to process material over sixteen weeks rather than over the current ten.
Graduate counseling student Jenny Sutherland enjoys the diversity of classes available under the quarter system, but admits that, in some ways, the current system falls short. Sutherland said, "I feel that a lot of my classes could go further in-depth with a few extra weeks."
She adds that coordinating with internships and summer jobs has been difficult because the quarter system releases students for summer break after some companies start training.
Although the Academic Integrity Committee supports a switch to semesters, Sarnoff understands the weight of this decision. "Inevitably, the short-term is going to be messy. No one is looking forward to being caught in that middle year," Sarnoff says. "But, we should be focusing on the long-term and not the short-term."
Don’t Fix What Isn’t Broken
Says Sarnoff, "If we had hard evidence that one form would result in better learning, that would clinch it for many people."
As the old saying goes, "If it’s not broke, don’t fix it."
Philosophy chair Arthur Zucker agrees. "I like the way the classes on the quarter system fit into our curriculum plan and am not anxious to see that change."
He explains, "There is an argument that the change (from quarters to semesters) will be a one-time, horrendous affair of reworking the entire schedule. The question that has to be answered is this: Is what will be gained (whatever that is) worth the cost?"
Zucker adds that an undertaking this significant will reduce the time teachers have to devote to their classes. "The switch would require a great deal of time reorganizing the structure of the curriculum and redescribing as well as revamping courses," explains Zucker. "Time spent doing this is time not spent preparing for classes, time not spent on research."
Reworking current quarter-length classes into semester-length classes would be an "incredible disruption to teachers," according to Journalism Professor Patrick Washburn.
Freshman Marketing major Ashley Hallier stresses that the business program fits well into the quarter system, and says that the extended winter break is a good opportunity for a business-related internship. "I’m looking forward to becoming involved with a company during the winter inter-session," comments Hallier. "If we switched to semesters, that opportunity would be gone."
Although many claim that a quarter-based calendar makes it more difficult to ensure internships, Washburn disagrees. "I’ve been at OU since 1984 and because of the quarter system, I have worried about student internship possibilities. But, from what I can tell, the quarter system doesn’t seem to have made any difference on internships."
Junior Widlife Biology major Chrystal Abdella recently transferred to OU from West Virginia University, which operates on the semester system. Says Abdella, "I prefer the quarter system. Another five weeks of a class seems like it would burn me out academically."
She adds that teachers "cover just as much information in the quarter system as they did during a semester."
What’s Next?
"The problem," says Bernt, "is that, while semesters work better for some disciplines, quarters work better for others."
Because of the complexity of the quarters vs. semester debate, the Task Force on the Academic Calendar and System is currently researching the positive and negative aspects of both sides.
Comments Bernt, "We are going to survey faculty, students and staff to find what they value. Once we find that, we will work to decide which system best fits these values."
Assistant Registrar Patrick Beatty adds, "With any calendar system, there is going to be a version of the schedule of classes. The key will be making sure that transition goes as smoothly as possible."
Those with strong opinions on this subject should respond to the Task Force’s email survey, which will be sent out to students, faculty and staff during spring quarter.
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To follow the Task Force on the Academic Calendar and System, visit its website