Semester System in Colleges & Universities

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Quarter versus Semester System: Implications for Student Learning As Cal State L.A. examines the prospect of converting from a four-quarter system to a two-plus semester system, there are several important considerations. One of the most paramount issues is the impact that such a change would have on student success and learning. There are few perceived pedagogical advantages in a quarter system. The quarter system was designed to handle surging enrollments and not necessarily to improve learning. Among the perceived advantages of the quarter system are: • students can take fewer subjects at one time, improving their ability to succeed in those subjects; and • students who find a particular class or professor too difficult, boring, or unappealing can finish sooner and move onto something they like. These reasons do not appear to outweigh the pedagogical advantages of the semester system. After an extensive review of the literature, little to no research was found that directly examines the impact of a quarter system versus semester system on student learning. However, given the instructional characteristics of the two systems, one can examine these characteristics, align the impact of these characteristics on student learning outcomes, and draw indirect conclusions about the impact on student learning within the two systems (Pavlik & Anderson, 2008; Yuen, & Hau, 2006; Kember, Charlesworth, Davies, McKay, & Stoot, 1997; Chung, & Chow, 2004). • The semester system provides for more in-depth teaching, learning assignments, and classroom and fieldwork assignments. For students, especially graduate students who are conducting or collaborating with faculty to conduct research as part of their course assignment, the semester system provides more time to engage in such activities. • The semester system can provide for more time to learn concepts deeply and absorb

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