This document reports that many community colleges are considering changes in their traditional semester calendars. In California, the most common question facing colleges is whether to switch from the traditional (in California) 18-week semester to a 16-week one. This paper details the results of a student and faculty survey conducted at…

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…

Covariance structure modeling tested four alternative models of determinants of student effort changes. Four alternative models were investigated using 167 junior and 155 senior high school students. Effort ratings by teachers were obtained for 282 of the students. The importance of changes in students' perceptions of ability is discussed. (SLD)

The effects of a calendar change from the quarter system to the semester system on enrollment patterns, student credit hour productivity, grading patterns, and course completion patterns were investigated. Enrollment and grade pattern data were collected for nine Florida public universities and Iowa State University, for 1980-1982. Additionally, a…

The Flexible Calendar Pilot Project at Evergreen Valley College focused on staff and instructional development, and assessing the needs and characteristics of the student population. The new academic calendar, based on faculty preference, called for a fall semester beginning in late August and ending in mid-December, an 18-day intersession during…

The proceedings of a two-day conference on individualization in Canadian high schools are summarized. Addresses from four general sessions are included in their entirety, along with 20 unedited transcripts from oral presentations at simultaneous workshops. Written comments and biographical notes from speakers precede each presentation. Topics…

This study was designed to determine how to attract additional students to enroll during "Winterim," a two-week session which is scheduled between the regular fall and spring semesters at William Rainey Harper College. One hundred and seventy-five traditional credit and 94 continuing education students who attended Winterim in 1977…

Three questionnaires were used at El Camino College to assess a flexible calendar that allowed ten days between semesters for staff development activities. A locally developed questionnaire on staff development drew responses from 245 instructors (68.6%), a state questionnaire on the flexible calendar was answered by 57% of full-time and 17% of…

This document provides an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of five different academic calendars, including: traditional semester, early semester, quarter, trimester, and "4-1-4." The present California State Code defines the academic year of the California Community Colleges as 175 days, based on the K-12 standard. This…

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)

This study compared students' learning experiences in a set of courses in British literature and a set of courses in marketing, in which each set included a course taught in an intensive format and a semester-long format with the same instructor and content. Data collection included participant observation, videotaped class sessions,…

In 1976, a study determined that student retention had increased markedly following Barstow College's transition from a semester to a quarter system. In 1979, another study was conducted to determine: (1) the accuracy of the 1976 figures; (2) the effect of the shortness of the time period considered in the 1976 study on its reliability; (3) the…

This annotated bibliography is a selected listing of 11 books and pamphlets, three dissertations, and 31 articles on year-round school programs published since 1962. The documents listed explore the effects on cost and educational quality of (1) staggered quarter plans, (2) quarter system plans, (3) staggered trimester plans, (4) split trimester…

An Interim Program offers high school students the opportunity to expand their outlook on education, school function, and community resources through a two-week series of courses between semesters. The courses are grouped under two headings: Interim Course Offerings (Academic and Avocational) and Career Research Laboratory Program. The…

These newsletters on Institutional Effectiveness (IE) at Austin Community College (ACC) in Texas include the following articles: (1) "The 'Fast Track'...Students Say It Works!" (2) "Are Students Successfully Completing Distance Learning Courses at ACC?" (3) "Tracking Transfers"; (4) "Math Pilot: Study Skills…