2008 Woodie Awards
Seattle U entertains idea of switching to semester system
Mike Baldwin
Issue: 5/21/08 Section: News
Other countries also seem to favor the semester system. India has recently seen a large-scale convergence of universities in the country, with education experts in the country citing an increased ability to improve students' skills prior to graduation in order to ensure employment, according to an article in India's national paper The Hindu.
The University of California at Berkley and the University of California at Los Angeles are two major institutions that have switched back and forth from the quarter to semester systems over the last four decades. Both schools ultimately decided the semester system was the most cost-effective system.
On a closer level to Seattle U, the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution, runs on a semester system. The highest possible number of credits that can be taken per class is four, with 16-credits constituting a full load. Students also get a month-and-half long break between fall and spring semesters.
"I really liked that we had a month long break between first and second semester because it gave my time to recharge my batteries," said recent USF graduate Emiko Hashisaki. "You could study abroad, travel, there's just so much you can do with that month and a half."
Hashisaki also said having to balance four classes across a semester was not as difficult as it may seem.
"It wasn't really hard to balance the four classes," said Hashisaki.
One of the largest groups at Seattle U that would be affected would be the faculty. Switching to a semester-based system would mean preparing for a 15-week course, rather than the current ten-week courses. But Diaz thinks the switch could make it easier for professors.
"Faculty have to prepare three different courses with the quarter system [rather than two]," said Diaz.
A student-discussion forum to discuss the possibility had been scheduled this year, but has instead been postponed until the 2008-2009 school year.
Such a process would ultimately take a large amount of time, both to get approved and to successfully make the switch. Because of the large discrepancies between semester and quarter-based systems, many aspects of university life would have to revamped.
Diaz said the possibility of the discussion becoming more serious lies in how the campus, and especially the faculty, feel about the move.
"I think if faculty feel this is a good move, it could be discussed formally," said Diaz. "But it would have to have their support."
The University of California at Berkley and the University of California at Los Angeles are two major institutions that have switched back and forth from the quarter to semester systems over the last four decades. Both schools ultimately decided the semester system was the most cost-effective system.
On a closer level to Seattle U, the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit institution, runs on a semester system. The highest possible number of credits that can be taken per class is four, with 16-credits constituting a full load. Students also get a month-and-half long break between fall and spring semesters.
"I really liked that we had a month long break between first and second semester because it gave my time to recharge my batteries," said recent USF graduate Emiko Hashisaki. "You could study abroad, travel, there's just so much you can do with that month and a half."
Hashisaki also said having to balance four classes across a semester was not as difficult as it may seem.
"It wasn't really hard to balance the four classes," said Hashisaki.
One of the largest groups at Seattle U that would be affected would be the faculty. Switching to a semester-based system would mean preparing for a 15-week course, rather than the current ten-week courses. But Diaz thinks the switch could make it easier for professors.
"Faculty have to prepare three different courses with the quarter system [rather than two]," said Diaz.
A student-discussion forum to discuss the possibility had been scheduled this year, but has instead been postponed until the 2008-2009 school year.
Such a process would ultimately take a large amount of time, both to get approved and to successfully make the switch. Because of the large discrepancies between semester and quarter-based systems, many aspects of university life would have to revamped.
Diaz said the possibility of the discussion becoming more serious lies in how the campus, and especially the faculty, feel about the move.
"I think if faculty feel this is a good move, it could be discussed formally," said Diaz. "But it would have to have their support."
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