Curricula at most colleges and universities in the United States are scheduled according to quarters or semesters. While each schedule has several potential advantages over the other, it is unclear what effect each has on student performance. This study compares biology student performance during the two and a half years before and after the 1999…

For administrators, teachers, students and their families in some districts, summer isn't what it used to be. Trying to stem a "summer slide" of learning loss by students and also to avoid having to build more schools to cope with overcrowding, districts are operating on year-round schedules that shorten the traditional summer vacation…

This study seeks to find if the structure of the demands of the quarter system impacts the levels of depression reported in the school's student body. That is, can the external and systemic stressors at be linked to levels of depressive symptoms? This study proposes that depressive symptoms may be linked to external stresses exerted on the student…

A number of U.S. higher education institutions are converting from quarter-to semester-based academic calendars; in fall 2012, seventeen Ohio institutions did so. Over a two-year time period, college student samples were recruited from a large, public, urban, Midwestern university that was undergoing a transition from a quarter-based to a…

When higher education professionals talk of states that put support for higher education high on the list of priorities, only lately has Ohio been able to include itself among the ranks of new movers and shakers. The Buckeye State, which boasts one of the nation's largest systems of public higher education, is embarking upon a new chapter in…

This article describes a model that can be used to analyze student enrollment data and can give insights for improving retention of part-time students and refining institutional budgeting and planning efforts. Adult higher-education programs are often challenged in that part-time students take courses less reliably than full-time students. For…

The author reviews the advantages and disadvantages of the quarter system and summarizes the conclusions of recent studies comparing the semester system to the quarter system. (JW)

The annual survey shows 75 institutions changing for 1983-84. The early semester calendar was the only type to gain, adding 49 institutions, but the overall distribution of calendar types has changed little. Most using traditional semesters are in California or New York. Only 8 percent use the 4-1-4 schedule. (MSE)

Concord High, in New York City, provides an intensive education program in which one subject (English, science, mathematics, or foreign language) is studied in depth each quarter. With a heterogeneous student population, the school offers a variety of learning methods and close student faculty relationships. (SJL)

The conversion from quarter to semester plan can be beneficial academically and financially. Some costs borne by a college and its students potentially can be cut by one-third. The process has a potential for strengthening curricula because the conversion necessitates a thorough examination of each course. (MLW)

Since the 1960s, many colleges and universities have shortened their school years. Driven by debate about the quality of undergraduate education and about whether students are getting their money's worth in college, some institutions are reexamining their academic calendars. Practical considerations, including student attendance patterns, make…

The number of days in each quarter, semester, or trimester is compared for academic years 1968-69 and 1993-94, for 10 private and 10 public colleges and universities. Intersessions and January sessions are included. Total number of days per year have decreased in almost all these cases and now vary from 134 to 172. (MSE)

The background of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute experiential program, how it was established, and how it currently operates are described. The Major Qualifying Project and the Interactive Qualifying Project, faculty roles and administrative structures, the humanities and evaluation of the program are discussed. (MLW)

Uses Montessori's writings on higher education as basis for recommendations to reform secondary and higher education. Advocates stimulus lectures followed by an assimilative work period to teach diverse university students. Recommends tuition be increasingly assumed by students each year of their secondary or higher education. Advocates…

A trend toward adoption of the early-semester calendar, which runs from August to May with exams before Christmas vacation is discussed, along with other changes in college scheduling for curriculum development, increased efficiency, student job scheduling, student retention, and decreased paperwork. (MSE)