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Show PAGE 2 THE THUNDERBIRD SUSC THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1989 Senate to scrutinize semester issue today Faculty will and semester and The of both carefully weighed faculty pros cons quarter by of coursework, and thats not bad. As it is, we look at curriculum every five years through the Utah State Board of Regents, Bowler said. Recognizing that overall, the switch to a semester calendar would be in the best interests of SUSC, David Rees, associate professor of business and president of the Faculty Senate, nevertheless remains sensitive to the fact that some departments may be impacted negatively. I think we ought to reflect on two departments on BY JAMES SPAINHOWER in-dep- th SUSCs Faculty Senate will weigh the merits and disadvantages of the proposed change from the quarter academic calendar system to that of the semester system today in the Bryce Canyon Room at 3:30 p.m. Department heads and others are divided, however, regarding the benefits that might be gleaned from making the transition, with some faculty members fearing that such a change will serve only to force reductions in class size, eliminate class offerings and promote additional expenditures. Claims have been made by some department heads that persons advocating a change to the semester status are being insensitive to the departmental needs of others. One such person is Quenton Bowler, head of the teacher education department. From our standpoint, the semester system would not benefit the student in teacher education. We think we have one of the better teachers education systems in the state because of our practicum, Bowler said. The experience provided through the practicum program provides necessary insight for future primary and secondary school teachers, he said. If the semester system is implemented, wed have to said Bowler, who cut practicum offers by one-thirthe even that current explained practicum offerings are considered insufficient by some professionals. Our field-base- d experience provides student teachers with knowledge that cannot come out of a book. The semester calendar would change all that. Students would lose one month of valuable time spent gaining classroom experience, Bowler said. Bowler concedes that there are positive aspects that SUSC will reap should the school change to the semester system, primarily, a reevaluation of coursework. A semester change would bring about a reevaluation be systems If you can register students for a semester , retention will be greater said David 9: n & representatives A traditional strength of our curriculum is offering field courses in the field. The timing of the long semesters would make such classes next to impossible unless they were scheduled as blocks during the appropriate seasons, Burgoyne said. The appropriate seasons Burgoyne adds, would be during the summer season. Since 70 percent of SUSCs student body has its roots in rural areas, and as such, are not free to attend school during the summer, Burgoyne sees a changeover to the semester calendar as likely destroying the biology major at SUSC. Another negative aspect, as Burgoyne sees it, would be that teachers would have less time in a course under the semester system unless credit is increased for the class. Reesy Faculty Senate president. on-the-j- If credit was increased for all classes, then the graduation credits must also increase and students would be unable to complete their requirements in four years. If credit was increased for only some classes, it would require reducing credit in others or eliminating them all together, Burgoyne said. Burgoyne believes that reducing course offerings by one-thir- d would also reduce the educational This, in background of SUSC graduates by one-thirturn, would decrease the marketability of an SUSC degree. In regard to the business department, Rees anticipates an overall cut by one-thir- d of upper division business coursework the extended semester to meet degree calendar. Nevertheless, he views the transition as strengthening the department not weakening it. In addition, Rees claims savings would be in store for students when it came to purchasing textbooks, simply because students would need to purchase textbooks for two semesters instead of three quarters. Students will not save on books, counters d. , d, campus that might be affected if we go to a semester system biology and education. Each should consider the impact. Biology can compensate because SUSCs Education, however, program is more outdoor-orientewill find compensation more difficult to amend because of its practicum program, Rees said, adding that he is confident that the education department will fare well simply on the merits of Dean of Education James Miller. Paul Burgoyne, biology department head, disagrees with Rees, offering a dismal appraisal. d. (CONTINUED ON PAGE PRO-SEMESTE- With three fresh starts, there are three chances to do better and fewer chances for boredom and burnout. Students receive grades three times a year. More frequent evaluation of their academic progress promotes learning. Students who must attend school around agricultural chores can usually come to fall and s of each winter quarters, thus completing school year. two-third- Fall semester would start too early for rural students, so they would miss half the school year. Changing systems would be very expensive. In 1983, Washington State University estimated an administrative conversion cost of $317,394. No one can estimate the cost to faculty of changing the curriculum. With computerized registration, processing three quarters costs no more than two semesters. courses A proliferation of compressed short-teroffset would any operational savings bv forcing continuous registration. m ANTI'QU ARTER R Learning retention increases with length of time exposed to the subject. There is more time to complete learning projects. Students and teachers have reduced stress by having only two grading cycles per year rather than three. Most texts are written for the longer semester. Students would purchase fewer texts. Revising courses would be beneficial. Time spent in registration and advisement would be reduced to two or three times a year. Indian students are awarded tribal funding twice a year. Annual administrative cost savings would more conversion cost. Two than offset the annual registrations rather than three saved Washington State University $642,407 a year. Short-tercourses are a great advantage of the one-tim- e m semester system, allowing greater flexibility. Field trips for spring classes could be held in the Dixie area where spring arrives earlier or offered as short-terclasses in May at the end of the spring semester. m Specific biology field classes taught in the spring could no longer be offered due to the lateness of spring in this area. Students would have to do more reading and studying on their own. Students would have to leave summer jobs earlier. The semester system is another educational SOURCE: SUSC Faculty Senate bandwagon, a fad which, like so many others, may soon go away. Job interviews and some national tests are given at the end of spring semester. Spring quarter, on the other hand, is still in session. Students could start summer jobs earlier. The semester calendar coincides better with the public schools. Utah should join with the majority of the nations schools. 11) |