The term "throughput" refers to the percentage of a student cohort who complete a course sequence within a set period after having begun that sequence at the same point in time. Under AB 705 the set period for observing throughput rates is described in law as "one year". While that time frame seems intuitive enough, the…

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…

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…

The articles reviewed in this paper are a supplement to a previous publication on college and university calendars. This new data tends to strongly reinforce the crucial point made in the previous study that indicated that college and university administrators have advocated one system, then another, without adequate empirical follow-up of the…

History of the academic calendar. (HS)

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)

This document reports the results of a survey conducted to determine (1) the types of academic calendars being used in colleges and universities in the U.S.: and (2) the changes taking place. Six types of calendars are defined: the traditional semester calendar; the trimester calendar; the 4-1-4 calendar; and other calendars. The survey was very…

An intensive evaluation of the quarter system versus semester system as a method of operation at Western Wisconsin Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education District (Western Wisconsin Technical Institute) was conducted through student and faculty evaluation along with an analysis of the effects of the quarter system on other schools, agencies,…

Researchers urge adoption of a standardized college calendar and express a few preferences. (Editor)

THE REPORT IS CONFINED TO THE QUESTION OF THE PREFERABLE CALENDAR FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AND CALIFORNIA STATE COLLEGES, AND IS NOT SPECIFICALLY CONCERNED WITH THE UNDERLYING REASONS FOR INSTITUTION OF YEAR-ROUND OPERATIONS, SUCH AS POSSIBLE LONG-TERM SAVINGS IN COSTS AND BENEFITS TO STUDENTS. THE FOUR-QUARTER CALENDAR IS SUGGESTED OVER…

This is a report of a survey of 48 Lutheran colleges and universities, 11 Lutheran seminaries, 20 Piedmont University Colleges, and 17 other colleges and universities. The Piedmont University College System is made up of several small institutions in North and South Carolina. The bulk of the report contains tabulated responses of each institution…

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)

BASED ON EMPIRICAL DATA ACCUMULATED FROM TWELVE JUNIOR COLLEGES UNDER THE 2-SEMESTER CALENDAR, THE MODEL DEVELOPED IN THIS STUDY CAN BE USEFUL IN PREDICTING CHANGES IN PLANT USE UNDER THE 4-QUARTER CALENDAR. THIS CALENDAR REVISION HAS FOUR CONSTRAINTS--(1) THE SENIOR INSTITUTIONS IN THE STATE HAVE ADOPTED IT, (2) THE STUDENT'S CHOICE OF QUARTER IN…

Chabot College began in 1961 on the semester system and converted to the quarter system in 1966. This study was conducted in order to determine whether or not Chabot should return to the semester system. Questionnaires distributed to students and faculty revealed that whereas 88 percent of the responding students favored the quarter system, 52…

THIS SURVEY WAS DEVELOPED IN ORDER TO EXAMINE THE EDUCATIONAL AND FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY AND DESIRABILITY OF YEAR-ROUND OPERATION OF LOS ANGELES JUNIOR COLLEGES, TO EVALUATE THE VARIOUS PROPOSALS FOR CALENDAR CHANGE, TO EXAMINE THE PROBLEMS AND IMPLICATIONS OF IMPLEMENTATION, AND TO DESCRIBE THE ORDERLY STEPS REQUIRED FOR TRANSITION. MATERIALS WERE…