This paper proposes a model to re-balance assessment schedules through the quantification of students' workload. The initiative derives from the migration of a term-based to a semester-based calendar in a HE institution. The change required scrutiny of former and new assessment calendars which highlighted deficiencies in the administration of…

In a matter of weeks--and in some cases, days--teachers were asked to move the remainder of their semester-long, in-person courses to the online environment, restructuring assignments and methods of content delivery along the way. Now, we live in-between, as people have navigated hybrid, stops and re-starts. What helped us then can help us in the…

In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a university in New Zealand. The work re-visits the 'assessment arms race' study and builds upon the key arguments presented so far. It was discovered that student demand in the early 1970s triggered the introduction of internal assessment and workloads…

We have successfully developed a one-semester general chemistry course that meets the primary learning goals of the traditional two-semester sequence. It is appropriate for physical, life, and earth science majors. Since implementation, 88% of students who start general chemistry complete it, an increase from 72% in our prior traditional…

The abrupt change from face-to-face to Online Learning (OL) in the emergency COVID-19 semester surprised and forced students to alter their study habits. Then came the second online period, and students were expected to be happier and more successful since now they were familiar with OL. Was this the case? Had the ways students learned, their…

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…

This paper uses data from a four-year college in Taiwan to examine the effect of adopting a stricter dismissal policy on course selection, student effort, and grading practices. Under the new rule, students are dismissed if they fail 50 percent or more credits in "any" two semesters as opposed to two "consecutive" semesters.…

In response to the Bologna Declaration and contemporary trends in Animal Physiology education, the Animal Physiology course at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, has evolved over a 12-year period (2001-2012): from a classical two-semester course toward a one-semester course utilizing computer simulations of animal…

This paper presents a qualitative study of 12 computer science lecturers' experiences of curriculum design of several degree programmes during a time of transition from year-long to semesterised courses, due to institutional policy change. The background to the study is outlined, as are the reasons for choosing the research methodology. The main…

In the 1970s, Ontario secondary schools started to adopt the semester system, four courses over the day where there had been seven. With this change, a creative outdoor educator realized that one teacher could take a group of students for all four credits, eliminating the restrictions of the timetable and addressing opportunities to learn in the…

Surveyed a sampling of faculty members at a United Kingdom university about the change to a semester system and modular courses. Found widespread disapproval of the way these changes were imposed. (EV)

This practicum report evaluates student perception of the conversion to a semester academic calendar at Snead State Community College (Alabama). A survey instrument was used to record the responses of students at Snead about whether they viewed the conversion to a semester academic calendar to be a positive experience. Results of the study showed…

This paper summarizes responses to a survey that examined the attitudes of secondary school officials in Vancouver, British Columbia, toward dividing the secondary school year into two separate semesters. Survey data were gathered from questionnaires completed by all secondary school principals in Vancouver, as well as from written comments…

Block schedules have been used in several different high schools in various areas of the United States. Reasons for their use vary from better preparing students for college work to fewer disruptions of the school day. Several studies have examined the impact of changing from a semester system to a block system on the academic performance in…

The introduction of modular schemes and a semesterised academic year are amongst the most fundamental changes ever to occur in UK higher education. There is, however, a notable lack of pedagogic research evidence on the effects upon student learning of course frameworks and the temporal structure of large-scale learning units. In the absence of…