4-1-4 academic calendar

ACADEMIC CLAENDAR TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Calendar Change. . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

2. Academic Calendar Development Overview. . . . .. 10-12

3. Literature Review. . . . . .13-15

4. 2013-2014 Academic Calendar—J-term version. . . . 16-21

5. Feasibility of Classroom Space under 4-1-4 Calendar. . .22-24

6. APC Report on Preferences and Rationale for 4-1-4 vs. 4-4-1 calendars. . . 25-33

7. Statement Regarding New Calendar: Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry/Physics. . .34-39

8. Registrar’s Office Statement Supporting 4-1-4 Calendar. . . 40-41

9. Admissions Office Letter/E-mail Supporting 4-1-4 Calendar. . . 42-43

10. Athletics Supporting 4-1-4 Calendar. . . . 44-47

11. Sample Feasibility Study Intelligence Studies. . .48-68

12. Adult Programs at Selected Institutions. . .69-71

Appendix:

A. Academic Departments Spreadsheet

B. Classroom Feasibility Chart

CALENDAR CHANGE

Friday May 4-5, 2012 Board of Trustees Meeting

The university faces the decision regarding its academic calendar once again. For years the

faculty have advocated for a new calendar that provides a sound pedagogical foundation for what

is the core of the institution, the academic work faculty do with students. Why has the academic

calendar continued to be a source of concern for the faculty? There are a few aspects of the term

system that the vast majority of the faculty and OAA find indefensible:

1. The long length of classes

Mercyhurst University has the longest undergraduate classes of any college or university in the

nation. Why does this matter? Students learn more, they retain more information if they receive

course material in shorter increments. This is why college class lengths range from 50 minutes to

65 minutes (MWF classes) and 75 minutes to 85 minutes (T,Th classes). Mercyhurst is far

outside this range with 90 minute MWF classes and 130 minute T,Th classes. Shorter class times

are especially important for at-risk students such as those who typically attend classes on the NE

campus. Students who miss classes because of illness, sports, or other reasons need only miss

two Tuesday-Thursday classes to miss 10% of the term’s classes. By contrast, students who miss

two Tuesday-Thursday classes on the 4-1-4 calendar miss 7% of the term’s classes.

There are more than 7000 colleges and universities in the United States. An extensive search of

two and four year colleges as well as universities turned up one four-year college, Augustana

College in Illinois, on the same term system as Mercyhurst. Only one community college,

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, was still using the same term system in

2011-2012. They are switching to semesters next year (http://www.cincinnatistate.edu/about-

cs/semester-transition). Doing an internet search of colleges and universities on a trimester or

term system is misleading if one is looking only to find those words. Twenty-five schools were

found that used the term “trimester,” but of those only two function on the calendar we currently

use. “Trimester” is most often used to refer either to a quarter system or a 12-month academic

year. A quarter system meets the same number of weeks as our system but for shorter class times

and the credits received are not equivalent to semester credits. Our courses have equivalency

with semester credits, which is why our classes must be so long in order to meet PDE standards

for semester contact hours. A 12-month academic calendar is often referred to as trimesters

where there are the traditional 15-week fall and spring semesters but summer is considered the

third trimester. Our calendar does all three semesters in 9 months and adds summer classes to

that system.

2. The short length of the terms

10-week terms condense what is typically 14-15 weeks of material for a class into 10 weeks.

Consequently, classes have to be held for much longer periods of time and students have 1/3 less

time to digest class material. They have fewer weekends with which to work on research and

writing projects. The pace at which material is covered makes it difficult for students to learn an

aspect of a subject matter, digest it, and then learn the next aspect, and so on. The condensed

term means students have to bite off much bigger chunks of course material and digest it at a

much faster rate.

3. The winter term

The winter term begins after the students have had a two-week non-productive break (a non-

productive break means that students cannot use the time away from classes to work on

assignments). Classes are held for 3 weeks, after which a two-week Christmas break follows.

From the end of the fall term to the end of the Christmas break, students have four weeks without

classes and three weeks with classes. During the Christmas break, students are asked to do

academic work. The winter term then picks up a day or two after New Year in the beginning of

the fourth week of the term. In short, the two-week break does not come at a natural breaking

point, midterm, but at a time when no one would suggest it makes sense to break for two weeks.

In fact, all of the term system’s big breaks are non-productive except for Christmas, the one time

of the year when students should get a break from their academic work and assignments.

How does the 4-1-4 calendar help to alleviate these problems?

A. Shorter classes

Class Schedule on the 4-1-4 Calendar (65 Minute MWF Classes; 100 Minute T,TH Classes)

MWF TT

8:00-9:05 8:00-9:40

9:15-10:20 9:50-11:30

10:30-11:35 11:40-1:20

11:45-12:50 1:30-3:10

1:00-2:05 3:20-5:00

2:15-3:20

3:30-4:35

Class Schedule on the Current Term System (90 Minute MWF Classes; 130 Minute T,TH

Classes)

MWF TT

8:00-9:30 8:00-10:10

9:40-11:10 10:20-12:30

11:20-12:50 12:40-2:50

1:00-2:30 3:00-5:10

2:40-4:10

1. Since additional days are available, a reading day can be included in the academic calendar

for both semesters and the j-term.

2. The Academic Support staff has more opportunity to interact with students who are

experiencing academic challenges. The longer semester and shorter class hours accompanied

by intense tutoring may offer the underprepared student an opportunity to succeed.

B. Longer terms

1. Students who want to transfer to Mercyhurst University could begin their study in

January rather than waiting until March. A few students do transfer in the current

winter term. However, they may be completing course work at a semester school.

2. Students may have additional time to determine the advisability from withdrawal

from a course. In the current system, some students have completed one exam by the

withdrawal date and are not certain if the withdrawal is warranted.

3. Students would have more data and time to determine if they should use their

pass/fail option.

4. International students who return home will not feel they need to leave early at the

end of fall term or return late for the beginning of spring term in order to have a

meaningfully long visit home

C. No winter term broken up in a way that makes no sense

D. Undergraduate research would be more productive.

1. Would allow seniors to have an intensive writing and research methodology

experience which they could present to the department's community as a way to kick

off the spring term. For those applying for graduate school, the timing of the project

would be ideal.

2. Would allow students doing research areas to conduct/complete senior research

during this time and defend their results in the spring term.

3. Would allow specialized field/research classes not offered in the regular curriculum.

4. Would provide a better opportunity for students to prepare spring performances.

5. Opportunities for specialized field/research classes in January or classes not otherwise

offered in the curriculum.

6. Clinical placements in January could roll into student teaching in the spring term.

7. Other departments propose online instruction, independent studies, and internships

during January.

E. Faculty research would be more productive:

1. Helps faculty with research, conferences, publications, and course prep if they are not

teaching every J-term. This is particularly helpful for faculty whose major

conferences are immediately after the New Year.

2. Additional time for research in the middle of the year is particularly helpful in fields

that require working with people who are off work/school in January.

3. For those faculty not teaching, the long research window is very appealing as a

halfway point to summer research, i.e. faculty may be getting responses from journal

submissions, publishers, etc. that they submitted at the end of summer and have an

opportunity to devote solid uninterrupted time to scholarship without having to wait

until the start of summer.

4. With 4-1-4, there is a rejuvenating longer break for faculty members not teaching in

January in a given year, and a less grueling, presumably stimulating, 1-course

regimen for “on” years, before plowing back into the spring semester.

5. Would allow for a much needed break in between semesters for faculty to develop

curriculum and ‘recharge’.

Students do have to take more courses at once under the 4-1-4 calendar but the classes meet for

much shorter lengths of time. The pace is much slower and more conducive to learning.

Current Term System (90 minute MWF Classes):

1 week of classes time (MWF): 4 hours, 30 minutes

1 week of classes time (T,TH): 4 hours, 20 minutes

* If students take 3 classes in a term, they are in class for 13 hours, 30 minutes per week.

*If students take 4 classes in a term, they are in class for 18 hours per week

4-1-4 System (65 Minutes MWF Classes):

1 week of class time (MWF): 3 hours, 15 minutes

1 week of classes time (T,TH): 3 hours, 20 minutes

* If students take 5 classes in a term, they are in class for 16 hours, 15 minutes per week.

*If students take 4 classes in a term, they are in class for 13 hours per week

Consequently, if students take a course during the j-term, they are in class for more minutes per

week for 14 weeks and less minutes for 14 weeks.

Who is in favor of the change to the 4-1-4 Calendar?

1. Office of Academic Affairs

2. Faculty*

3. College/University Council

4. Registrar’s Office

5. Admissions Office

6. Athletics

7. Service Learning

8. Study Abroad

9. Adult College**

10. Student Financial Services

11. Campus Ministry

*Concerns have been raised about lab space for students in the natural sciences in a switch to 4-

1-4. This issue is being addressed by some of the natural science by increasing lab size where

possible. Other departments will need to offer labs more often, including evening labs. For many

students, evening labs may be appealing. Similar issues are being addressed in the studio arts, but

all departments in these areas have said a change in calendar is possible. Moreover, many have

argued that the increased opportunity for research for students and faculty in a j-term outweighs

the inconvenience. One final concern raised is trailer classes, where students who fail calculus

and need to make that up fall behind because the courses are not offered as frequently. Placing a

priority on hires in the natural science would alleviate many of these concerns.

**A concern was raised for the adult college with students wanting to take classes part time and

taking longer to graduate because they would take fewer classes a year. This is an issue of

delayed revenue as there are no other colleges or universities in the immediate area on a term

system and therefore not a reason to go somewhere else. Moreover, with the Ireland program and

other courses in the adult college courses are run for longer class meetings and shorter periods of

time (faculty going to Ireland have taught a five week course here and then another five week

course in Ireland). Modifications within a 4-1-4 system can be made to accommodate such

concerns. Other adult colleges and adult learning programs on both semester and 4-1-4 calendars

provide full and part-time options for adult students. See attached list for a selection of schools

providing these opportunities.

Who Favors Staying on the Term System?

1. Learning Differences – data shows, however, that students with learning differences are

aided by longer terms and shorter class meetings. (See attached literature review)

2. Students (60%-40% students favor the term system in a survey), but MSG voted 9-8 in

favor of the 4-1-4 and all four MSG representatives voted for the 4-1-4 calendar on

College/University Council in January 2012.

Potential Cost and Man-Hour Savings of the 4-1-4 Calendar

1. Registration (2 vs. 3 times per year)—Registration for the Fall semester and J Term is

completed in the previous April. As a result, the Office of Academic Affairs is given

more accurate enrollment figures and can plan course offerings for the spring semester.

The Finance Office has more complete data to forecast revenue and expenses.

2. Academic Advising (2 vs. 3 times per year):

a. 3,000 students advised for 30 minutes each = 90,000 minutes (1,500 work-hours

saved per year). The average number of students advisors have is approximately 18,

but in some departments this number is much higher while other departments are

lower.

3. Billing (2 vs. 3)

4. Students who drop out after 1 term have paid 50% of their yearly tuition vs. 33%.

5. Flat Billing: It is easier for students to overload classes on the term system and graduate

earlier. Students take at least one term of 4 classes on the term system. If they take 4

classes more than once, they have overloaded and are one step closer to graduating a term

early (graduating a term early on the term system requires students to get three classes

ahead of schedule, e.g., if they take one extra class in their Freshmen, Sophomore, and

Junior years, they can skip the spring term of their senior year). To accomplish the same

objective on the 4-1-4 system requires that they get five courses ahead by overloading in

five of the six terms prior to their senior year.

6. Longer Christmas break means savings on heating dorms and offices.

Governance

The University has implemented a new governance system over the course of the last decade that

ensures that all major constituencies are represented in the process of considering major reforms.

Chief among the additions to the system was the creation of the College (now University)

Council. Not only has the calendar proposal passed University Council by a unanimous vote, but

it has also passed the Faculty Senate by a 3-1 margin. The Senate has conducted numerous

forums, met with undergraduate students and graduate students, held a student forum, solicited

input from faculty, students, and administrators, held meetings with department heads, and

conducted research on calendar and related issues. For a more comprehensive explanation of

calendar and the governance process see document: “ACADEMIC CALENDAR

DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW.”

Conclusion

The term system is an outdated way of configuring an academic calendar. Only two other

schools in the country were found to still be on this system. The trend is clear, colleges and

universities have been converting away from a term system since the late 1970s (see attached

literature review), and those remaining are not on the term system used here. We have the worst

of both worlds, pedagogically speaking, in that we have the shortest terms and the longest

classes.

Are there costs associated with converting to the 4-1-4 calendar? Yes, but Jane Kelsey’s study

indicates that they are minimal. Has the University incurred costs with respect the other reforms?

Yes, for example:

1. University Status

2. Core Change

3. Flat Billing

4. Converting to Electronic Paychecks

5. Converting to and upgrading Datatel

6. Creating a Division I Ice Hockey Program

7. Bringing the Internet and Computers to the College

8. IDST Courses for Freshmen

9. Building a New Freshman Dorm

10. Building a New Academic Building

11. Creating New Academic Programs (e.g., Public Health, Arts Management, Applied

Politics)

Why do we incur these costs? Because we believe that they will improve the quality of the

education that we provide our students and/or we believe that they may cost more in the short-

run but save money/generate more revenue in the long-run. Calendar reform is this and more. It

is difficult to imagine an institutional reform that will have a greater effect on the quality of our

students’ education than calendar change. The time has come for Mercyhurst to not only be a

university in name, but to act like one where it matters most, in the conduct of its academic life.

Student learning is the raison d’etre of Mercyhurst University. Students learn more the shorter

the time they spend in class. We have the longest class times of any college or university in the

nation. The time has come for a broken and outdated academic calendar to be replaced by an

academic calendar that is by far the consensus and proven model across the nation.

ACADEMIC CALENDAR DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW

Why are we considering academic calendar change?

1. From 2005-2007, the college considered changing its academic calendar in light of strong

support from both faculty and students. In spring 2007 the Board of Trustees decided (based

on a recommendation from the Academic Affairs Committee) that it was premature to

change academic calendars, but that once the college revised the Core and explored flat

billing, it should revisit changing calendars. At that time President Gamble and VP OAA

Barb Behan advocated the 4-1-4 calendar.

2. In summer 2011 as the college was nearing completion of its 3-year Core revision process,

PDE found the college in violation of its contact hours requirement. Consequently, ten

minutes were added to every MWF class and fifteen minutes to every TT class. The added

minutes created two significant problems: a) the last afternoon class ran so deeply into the

day that sports teams and anyone trying to hold meetings had a difficult time finding space

and time; moreover, scheduling classes for athletes was especially difficult and b) current

undergraduate classes far exceed what is pedagogically responsible. Our TT classes are now

longer than most traditional graduate classes. These long class times tax the attention span of

a generation of students made impulsive and impatient by texting, television, and technology.

3. In the summer of 2011, OAA asked the Faculty Senate to first try and save the current term

system by exploring a longer calendar year or alternative credit requirements. None of the

alternatives, proved tenable as both faculty and students rejected the various proposals.

4. The Faculty Senate then was asked by OAA to create a new 3-term academic calendar.

5. The president asked for some version of a 4-1-4 calendar that was under consideration in

2007. The straight semester system was not on the table.

6. Faculty Senate officers met with students Monday, October 10, 2011 (MSG), Wednesday,

January 25, 2012 (undergraduate student forum), Tuesday, April 3, 2012 (graduate students),

administrators [VP OAA, Provost, President, Gary Brown, Registrar (Sr. Pat), Admissions

(Mike Lyden and Chris Coons), Graduate College (Gil Jacobs), Student Financial Services

(Carrie Newman), Student Life (Gerry Tobin and Laura Zirkle), Learning Differences (Diane

Rogers, via e-mail), and NE] and held a series of faculty forums and Senate meetings

beginning in October 2011 to study and discuss calendar change.

7. Faculty Forums were held October 24, 2012, December 12, 2012, January 9, 2012, and

Monday, April 2, 2012 to discuss the calendar proposal. The faculty also discussed and

worked on the calendar proposal at its Senate meeting beginning in October 2011. Senate

committees (especially APC) worked on the proposal.

8. Pat Kelly (Math Department) studied classroom space to determine if the new calendar

would fit into the college’s current classroom space. The answer: yes. (See Feasibility of

Classroom Space under 4-1-4 Calendar document and companion Room Usage Chart.)

9. Based on these discussions, review of the 2006-07 studies, and administration-imposed

constraints a proposal was put before the Faculty Senate to a new 4-1-4 or 4-4-1 calendar. On

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 the Senate voted 73-25 to replace the current term calendar with a

4-1-4 or 4-4-1 calendar.

10. On January 25, 2012, College Council voted unanimously to send the calendar proposal to

OAA and appropriate BOT committees.

11. On Saturday, February 18, 2012, the Board of Trustees charged the President’s Office and

OAA to complete a feasibility study and to make a recommendation on calendar at the May

2012 BOT meeting.

12. On April 18, 2012, the Faculty Senate voted 57-18 for the 4-1-4 vs. the 4-4-1 calendar. It also

voted 56-18-1 for the 65 minute vs. the 60 minute calendar.

13. The proposal is the consequence of a collaborative effort between the administration, faculty,

staff, and students.

What kind of courses will be offered during the J-term?

The idea is for faculty to offer creative courses during the J-term; some may include a travel

component and/or field research. While a number of “regular” courses may be offered (i.e., both

major courses and Core courses), the emphasis will be on unconventional courses that will likely

only be offered during the short term. Academic support would like to offer a course for high

risk students during the J-term to help with retention. It is also possible to offer non-credit

courses during the short term. (Please see companion document for J-Term programs and

courses.)

What would the class schedule look like for the J-term?

5 Days-A-Week (16 days of class)

8:00-11:00

1:00-4:00

5:00-8:00

* This schedule is similar to the short summer term currently in use.

How would students’ class schedule change?

Students currently take 10 courses per year to graduate on time. They would continue to take 10

courses per year on the 4-1-4 term system. Rather than a typical combination of 3-4-3, they

would take 5-1-4 or 5-0-5 or even 4-2-4.

How would flat billing change?

Currently, students can take up to 36 credits per year (12 per term) at the flat billing rate. Under

the new calendar, students could take up to 36 credits per year (18 per term). The short term

would be folded into the spring (or fall) term.

LITERATURE REVIEW

In only a few moments on the ERIC database, it is possible to find a number of journal

articles and reports discussing the issues of Academic Calendars. Many of these articles are

reports from committees and task forces at a variety of undergraduate institutions and two-

year/community colleges. There a few peer-reviewed scholarly articles; they tend to be

disciplinary-based or involve research in high schools. Still, there is a great deal that can be

translated from these articles to the issues of the college/university as a whole.

TRENDS

The bulk of the articles that specifically discuss calendar change in regard to either a

quarter or term system are from the early 1970s through the mid 1980s. These articles tend to be

either prospective in nature (reporting the views of faculty, administration, etc about potential

calendar change) or represent a review of literature and other programs around the country. It

should be noted that many of these documents refer to the semester, quarter, early-start, and

trimester systems. An early-start semester retains essentially the same number of weeks but

begins in early to mid August. The trimester systems being referenced are almost entirely an

August-December/January-April/April-July format. The 4-1-4 calendar is also discussed, though

less frequently than those listed above.

From this era of work, one thing is clear: there was an overwhelming shift in calendars

during this era. As one paper reports, nearly 50% of the colleges surveyed in 1972 were

considering a change1. Many of these were moving toward a 4-1-4

2 or early-start calendar

3 and

moving away from other calendars such as quarters and terms. These results are not unique to a

single type of institution, but rather represent two-year and community colleges4 as well as

liberal arts and comprehensive institutions5.

One article of significance during this time provides an analysis of the costs associated

with academic calendars. This article suggests that faculty development, student retention, and

even the costs of recordkeeping are dependent up on the calendar, and suggests that a 4-1-4

calendar may be an advantageous approach for managing the costs of academia6. Another

similar article sheds light on the administrative challenges of any calendar that requires multiple

registration/scheduling sessions, and concludes that semester-based calendars (including 4-1-4

and early-start) are more administratively favorable than trimesters or quarters7.

The more recent articles (1990s and later) tend to be a more “hind-sight” analysis of

calendar changes that have occurred in a given institution. Some examples of the issues raised in

these reports are: student grades, attrition/retention rates, and time-to-graduation, financial

analyses, surveys of faculty staff and administration regarding work load, perceived

costs/benefits of switching, and overall job satisfaction, and other affective gauges.

INTERIM

Much of the existing literature focuses on the interim (short) term. It would appear that

this term is the least well-defined in the early phases of the calendar implementation,2 but that it

can provide a unique and rewarding experience when fully executed5. In fact, various research

describes the interim term as rewarding and well-liked by faculty, staff, and students alike8. It

has also been shown to create cross-disciplinary collaboration9 and to provide a forum for both

on-campus and off-campus experiences that couldn’t be readily achieved during a traditional

semester10

.

ACADEMIC IMPACT

Unfortunately, there are fewer publications that directly focus on the impact of the

calendar on academics. This is due, at least in part, to the fact that many of the dramatic calendar

changes were occurring at a time that pre-dates the beginning of educational research as a

discipline. Still, the literature that does exist either is neutral toward or adamantly supports

longer exposure for traditional learning experiences.

The most recent of these compared retention of certain economics principles as a function

of the college structure.11

A 2010 study in math and science clearly indicates that students who

are on a compressed course schedule have a more difficult time learning these subjects. This

study goes on to show that struggling students are affected even more, and that trimesters

inadvertently further jeopardize at-risk students because of the shortened exposure to the

content.12

Even in more general studies, students who took classes in longer terms were shown

to have higher grade-point averages than those on shorter schedules.13

Importantly, a recent extensive survey at a two-year college indicated that students

experienced no significant differences in reported self-effort levels, college course activities,

faculty interaction, student/peer interaction, skill preparation, or overall satisfaction with their

experience between a shorter block-style schedule and a more traditional longer semester

schedule.14

1 Loyd C Oleson, 1971.

2 Timothy E Lightfield, 1972.

3 Clinton I Chase, 1974.

4 Michael R. Eberhard, 1978; Richard M. Parrish and Maie Pascale, 1978.

5 Lee M. Swan, "The Interim: Academic Strength Through Uniqueness," Liberal Education

67 (4), 304-309 (1981).

6 Eugene B Habecker and Gerald D. Smith, "Academic Calendars and Academic Costs,"

Improving College and University Teaching 30 (3), 126-129 (1982).

7 Florence A. Smith, 1975.

8 Jack E Rossman, "The Interim after Seven Years," Journal of Higher Education 42 (7),

603-609 (1971).

9 Jack L. Armstrong, "Interinstitutional Cooperation through a 4-1-4 Calendar," Learning

Today 5 (4), 39-44 (1972).

10 Joh M. Bevan, "Reflections and Projections: 4-1-4," Liberal Education 59 (3), 336-348

(1973).

11 Daniel K.N. Johnson, Kristina M. Lybecker, and Corinne H. Taylor, "Retention of

Economics Principles by Undergrauates on Alternative Curriculur Structures," Journal of

Education for Business 86 (6), 332-338 (2011).

12 Mary Anthony Bair and David Bair, "Scheduling Inequality in Math and Science: How

Trimesters Hurt Students at Risk of Academic Failure," American Secondary Education

39 (1), 78-94 (2010).

13 Jason McCreary and Charles Hausman, 2001.

14 David Scott Alsobrooks, University of Southern Mississippi, 2010.

2013-2014 ACADEMIC CALENDAR J-TERM VERSION

39 classes 65 minutes MWF, 25 classes 100 minutes TTH

Fall term begins 9/4

Mid-term Break 10/17 – 10/20

Thanksgiving Break 11/28 – 12/1

Classes end 12/7

Exams 12/9 – 12/13

J Term – 5 days per week (12 sessions)

3.5 hr classes

Classes Start 1/6

MLK Day – no class 1/20

Classes End / Final Exam 1/23

Spring Term begins 1/29 – 5/23

Mid-Term 3/16 – 3/22

Easter Break 4/17 – 4/22

Classes End 5/9

Exams 5/12 – 5/16

Graduation 5/18

6 MWF Sessions 8-9:05, 9:15-10:20, 10:30-11:35, 11:40-12:45, 12:55-2, 2:10-3:15

4(5) TTH Sessions 8-9:40, 9:50-11:30, 11:40-1:20, 1:30-3:10, (3:20-5)

August 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25 26

27

28

29

30

31

September 2013


1

2

3 4

Classes

Begin

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

October 2013


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Mid Term

Break

18

Mid Term

Break

19

Mid Term

Break

20

Mid Term

Break

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

November 2013


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

Thanksgiving

Break

29

Thanksgiving

Break

30

Thanksgiving

Break

December 2013


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Classes

End

8 9

Finals

Week

10

Finals

Week

11

Finals

Week

12

Finals

Week

13

Finals

Week

14

15

Break

Begins

16

------

17

-----

18

------

19

-----

20

----

21

----

22

-----

23

-----

24

-----

25

-------

26

-----

27

----

28

-----

29

------

30

------

31

-----

January 2014


1 2

3 4

5

------

6

Classes

Begin

7

8

9

10

11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20

MLK – No

classes

21 22 23

Exam

24

Break

25

Break

26

Break

27

Break

28

Break

29

Classes

Begin

30 20

21

February 2014


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

March 2014


1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16

Mid Term

Break

17

Mid Term

Break

18

Mid Term

Break

19

Mid Term

Break

20

Mid Term

Break

21

Mid Term

Break

22

Mid Term

Break

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

April 2014


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Easter

Break

18

Easter

Break

19

Easter

Break

20

Easter

Break

21

Easter

Break

22

Easter

Break

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

May 2014


1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Classes

End

10

11 12

Finals

Week

13

Finals

Week

14

Finals

Week

15

Finals

Week

16

Finals

Week

17

18

Graduation

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

FEASIBILITY OF CLASSROOM SPACE UNDER 4-1-4 CALENDAR

Conservative Measures:

It would be best to begin by explaining a couple conservative measures taken in this analysis.

1. The modified-term calendar was exaggerated to consist of only two terms

2. Evening courses were not included in the analysis

Rationale:

1. If Mercyhurst’s available classroom space can manage the shift from the current trimester

calendar to a calendar that has only two terms, then any courses offered during the J-term

will only serve to lighten the analyzed load on the university’s facilities. This covers the

extreme (hypothetical) case where no student takes a J-term course (which will not be the

case—see “Assumptions” below).

2. With shortened lengths of classes, it is conceivable for Mercyhurst to offer two courses in a

single evening.* Thus, each classroom is potentially available for two MW evening courses

and two TTh evening courses per term, which would be a total of eight potential evening

courses per classroom for an entire year (again only considering two terms). Comparably,

under our current calendar each classroom is potentially available for only six evening

classes per academic year. Considered this way, the current offerings of evening classes can

easily be nested in the available timeslots for evening classes under the modified-term

system, with room to spare. This spare room was not factored into the overall analysis,

though, to avoid the possibility of classroom space only working under the 4-1-4 system at

the cost of shifting some day classes to evening timeslots.

* It should be further noted that data from the Registrar’s Office clearly shows that current

classroom use in the evenings is nowhere near capacity, and further that the second possible

timeslot under the modified-term calendar would not be necessary to offer the same number

of evening courses currently offered.

Assumptions:

1. All Freshmen will take a course during the J-term

2. All students must take courses in a minimum of two J-terms

3. Political Science will offer 4-5 classes each term in the new building (don't know about Intel

and HRIM)

None of these assumptions were considered at the time of the analysis, and each of them only

serves to alleviate the demands put on the classrooms in the analysis.

Special Considerations

In the analysis, the data was pruned of specialized classes and classrooms. In the attached

worksheet, it can be noted that specialized considerations (labs, Intel, Fashion Merchandising,

Sports Medicine, etc.) are omitted. This was done so that a room that appears to be underutilized

does not look as though it could absorb the load of “typical” courses, but then it turns out that

that room is a chemistry lab, or that it’s preferentially assigned to a certain department. [NOTE:

I do think the classroom-space issue needs to be investigated for each of these specialized

entities. The numbers I’ve come up with only represent the feasibility of the more mainstream

course offerings of the university, and only using the more public domain of the university’s

physical plant.]

Current Classroom Usage

The attached worksheet is, basically, a room-by-room breakdown of the university’s current

room usage. The important information is the percentage on each line and the last percentage

(78.84%) on the “Grand Total” line. Each individual percentage measures at what capacity

we’re currently using that specific room; the “Grand Total” line measures the overall campus.

These numbers (especially the 78.84%) are important because it can be mathematically argued

that 88.9% or below is a “safe” number for Mercyhurst to be able to switch to the modified-term

calendar.

Mathematical Approach of the Analysis

Currently, any one classroom can be used 27 times during the school year: 5 times on MWF, 4

times on TTh, and 3 terms. The new calendar would allow each classroom to be used only 24

times during the school year: 7 MWFs, 5 TThs, and only counting two terms. If every one of the

university’s rooms were used at 100% capacity, the school could not make the switch (there

would be 27 pigeons we’d be trying to fit into 24 holes). If, though, Mercyhurst is only using

24/27 (88.9%) of our classrooms’ capacities then the switch would be feasible.

Conclusion

Since Mercyhurst’s campus average of 78.84% is well below the threshold of 88.9%, it would be

feasible to change to the modified-term calendar.

Further Considerations (and Conclusions)

If one of the proposed timeslots of the modified-term calendar were to be removed (for instance,

having only 6 class periods on MWF rather than 7, which would end the school day earlier and

open up faculty’s schedules for meetings and the like), that would reduce the number of times an

individual room could be used in a school year to 22 times: 6 MWFs, 5 TThs, two terms. The

new threshold would be 22/27 (81.5%). Since Mercyhurst’s 78.84% is still below this, it would

still be feasible.

If one of the proposed timeslots of the modified-term calendar were to be removed from the

MWF schedule as well as one from the TTh schedule, the threshold would be 20/27 (74.1%).

The only way this would be feasible is if further investigation demonstrated that the assumptions

and conservative measures of this analysis held enough wiggle room to account for the 4.7% by

which Mercyhurst’s 78.84% exceeds that threshold.

ACADEMIC POLICIES COMMITTEE REPORT ON PREFERENCES AND

RATIONALE FOR 4-1-4 VS. 4-4-1 CALENDAR

Short-term calendar explanation and rationale:

A short-term provides students and faculty with unique educational opportunities. Unlike the

Mercyhurst University current trimester system or a traditional semester system, a calendar that

incorporates a short-term permits students to take a single, focused experience, whether that

occurs in the traditional classroom, or in a field-experience setting. It allows faculty to design a

short, but intensive learning encounter for a (presumably) smaller number of students. It is not a

general or introductory experience, in all likelihood; rather, it can be a course that will allow

students to learn in depth a particular problem, question, issue, or technical skill. In a University

such as ours, where experiential and service learning are becoming increasingly more valued and

supported, the inclusion of a short-term is a natural fit. Whether the short-term is offered in

January or May, there are unquestionable advantages for both faculty and students. These

include internship and co-op prospects. In addition, a short-term would seem to be obviously

useful to enhancing faculty-student research opportunities. The short-term, in short, offers

Mercyhurst University faculty and students the occasion for the continual creation of

meaningful, relevant, and contemporary learning experiences that do not require the investment

of the many weeks involved in a term or semester. They offer faculty the chance to be

experimental and the opportunity to be immediately responsive to the needs of current

students. And finally, a version of the short-term already exists at Mercyhurst in the form of the

Pre-Summer session; therefore, models of how courses might be offered in a short-term already

exist.

Note: PDE sets the standard for contact hours, so the shorter the class period the more class

meetings there will need to be. A three credit course must meet for 42 hours (2520 minutes).

____________________________________

The following is a summary of preferences and rationale provided to APC by faculty over

the last two weeks. The rationales were included as given and connected to the preference

with which they were given. The only things removed by the committee were duplicate

rationale within each preference and references to specific departments or individual

faculty.

Faculty rationale for preferring 4-1-4

1. Undergraduate research would be more productive.

a. Students would be more actively engaged in January. By May exhaustion sets in

and students check out.

b. Would allow seniors to have an intensive writing and research methodology

experience which they could present to the department's community as a way to

kick off the Spring term. For those applying for graduate school, the timing of the

project would be ideal.

c. Senior capstones/senior thesis can be reconfigured for a J-term more effectively

for some departments.

d. Would allow students doing research areas to conduct/complete senior research

during this time and defend their results in the spring term.

e. Would provide a better opportunity for students to prepare spring performances.

2. Some intensive courses offered by certain departments would fit best into a 4-1-4

calendar.

a. Opportunities for specialized field/research classes in January or classes not

otherwise offered in the curriculum.

b. Securing clinical placements, which come along with courses in certain

departments, would be much more difficult with a May term. The January term is

ideal do a field experience in behavioral and social sciences.

c. Clinical placements in January could roll into student teaching in the spring term.

d. Sequenced courses could make good use of the J-term, and some departments

would require students to take at least one J-term to lighten the load, which they

might be too ‘burned out’ to do in a May term.

e. Other departments propose online instruction, independent studies, and

internships during January.

3. There are more schools with a J-term than a May-term and therefore more opportunities

for exchange programs with these schools.

4. Travel costs for study abroad would be cheaper in January than in May.

a. European travel would also be less crowded and less expensive for specialized

courses.

b. For students doing a semester abroad, January seems to fit better with the

schedule of other study abroad programs for the academic calendar as a whole.

c. Taking students to Ireland for the spring after a J-term would be better weather

than taking them immediately after Christmas.

d. The J term would be a good time for some interesting travel courses, especially if

Erie returns to harsh winters in the future. Getting away from Erie for what is,

typically, a very tough weather month has appeal and might be enough to entice

some students to make great use of the interim term instead of starting their

summer vacations early.

5. With a J-term we still have the equivalent Pre-summer courses that could meet the needs

of departments preferring a May term for reasons of travel or outside research.

6. 4-1-4 is closer to a ‘real’ semester schedule and therefore helpful for faculty research:

a. Helps faculty with research, conferences, publications, and course prep if they are

not teaching every J-term. This is particularly helpful for faculty whose major

conferences are immediately after the New Year.

b. Additional time for research in the middle of the year is particularly helpful in

fields that require working with people who are off work/school in January.

c. For those faculty not teaching, the long research window is very appealing as a

halfway point to summer research, i.e. faculty may be getting responses from

journal submissions, publishers, etc. that they submitted at the end of summer and

have an opportunity to devote solid uninterrupted time to scholarship without

having to wait until the start of summer.

7. J-term provides a healthier academic life for faculty and students:

a. Under a 4-4-1 scenario, we would be teaching potentially 130 students in the fall

semester, then roll right into (with little time to come up for air) another 100 or

130 for spring semester, depending on whether the individual faculty member is

teaching in the May term.

b. With 4-1-4, there is a rejuvenating longer break for faculty members not teaching

in January in a given year, and a less grueling, presumably stimulating, 1-course

regimen for “on” years, before plowing back into the spring semester.

c. Would allow for a much needed break in between semesters for faculty to develop

curriculum and ‘recharge’.

d. Starting a new lengthy term right away in January does not allow for the creative

course preparation that would be possible with a longer break between full size

terms.

e. J-term would provide a break to the regular routine in the middle of the year.

8. Some students have expressed to faculty a preference for and interest in J-term to get

back to campus rather than staying home for an extended period of time.

9. At the same time, international students not taking a J-term course would be more likely

to be able to go home for the break.

10. Easier to require students to stay on campus for a J-term.

11. Concerns about a May term

a. Some are concerned May term would mean a longer break between terms and provide

more opportunities for students to forget information from fall to spring.

b. Trying to motivate students for a May term would be a challenge: they've just been

through a long term, the weather has changed, it feels like the school year should be

ending - and they're starting an intensive new class that will meet for several hours

every day.

c. May term may not be used as productively by students or faculty due to exhaustion at

that time of the year.

d. A May term is likely to be seen as an add on and with flat rate billing students might

take heavier loads both of the long terms in order to avoid having to stay in May. May

would not be seen as a part of the academic year.

e. With a May term, seniors not taking a May term course could be less likely to

participate in graduation.

f. Faculty would be less likely to want to stay to teach in May.

g. It would be awkward to have graduation after a grading period that lasts only a

month—especially if students (and seniors in particular) are under no particular

obligation to take classes during that term.

h. Also, with students having the opportunity to start summer vacation (or summer jobs)

early by not taking any “May term” classes, we could find under a 4-4-1 that faculty

will have difficulty meeting their contractual obligations for teaching load.

i. In general, the warm weather of May was raised as a consistent concern that both

faculty and students would be disinclined to participate in courses then in order to

enjoy the nice weather sooner. It would be harder for both to concentrate for extended

class times.

_________________________________

Faculty rationale for preferring 4-4-1

1. Preference for May co-ops and internships for students that would be better and longer.

a. Financially the students could register for the co-op in the May term and therefore

still be able to use financial aid towards it as part of the current billing

initiative. As it stands right now, students pay out of pocket for co-ops and

internships, a less desirable financial situation.

2. Ability of students not taking a May term to start summer jobs earlier, allowing them to

be more competitive for better jobs. This is particularly important for students who rely

on summer incomes to be able to attend Mercyhurst. Some other institutions finish as

early as the first week of May, and some even in the third week of April.

3. A short, intense term at the end of the year better mirrors the natural attention span of

most students.

4. Consistency in length between the first two terms will help support students’ ability to

acclimate and manage time.

5. Weather at the end of the year would provide more and better opportunities for travel for

studies that require outside work.

6. Traveling in January can be unpredictable, whereas travel in May is less likely to run into

weather delays.

7. Students have suggested to some faculty that once they are home for the Christmas

holidays it is unlikely that they will return until the next term begins, and therefore not

take advantage of J-term offerings and have expressed a preference for May over J-term.

8. J-term would increase the time between sequenced courses.

_________________________________

The following responses from the Registrar’s office, Student Life, and Athletics give further

context for the impact of 4-1-4 vs. 4-4-1 short-term calendars. These are left in the language

given in the reports from these offices, but are limited to what each office said about 4-1-4 and 4-

4-1.

Registrar’s Office preference and rationale for 4-1-4:

1. Provides the structure that promotes fuller student engagement in the pursuit of learning

2. Registration for the Fall semester and J Term is completed in the previous April. As a result,

the Office of Academic Affairs is given more accurate enrollment figures and can plan

course offerings for the Spring semester. The Finance Office has more complete data to

forecast revenue and expenses.

3. Contact hours required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education are more reasonably

implemented and sustained than in the current term system.

4. Since additional days are available, a reading day can be included in the academic calendar

for both semesters and the J Term.

5. Additional breaks can be inserted into the calendar during the semesters providing students

and faculty additional time for a more leisurely approach to study and research. We view

leisure as an essential component of learning.

6. The Academic Support staff has more opportunity to interact with students who are

experiencing academic challenges. The longer semester and shorter class hours accompanied

by intense tutoring may offer the underprepared student an opportunity to succeed.

7. Students who want to transfer to Mercyhurst University could begin their study in January

rather than waiting until March. A few students do transfer in the current Winter Term.

However, they may be completing course work at a semester school.

8. Students may have additional time to determine the advisability of withdrawal from a course.

In the current system, some students have completed one exam by the withdrawal date and

are not certain if the withdrawal is warranted.

9. Students would have more data and time to determine if they should use their pass/fail

option.

10. The J Term seems to be best suited to address graduation issues.

a. The faculty and administration will have more complete information to identify the

students who will receive academic awards at graduation (i.e. Bishop’s Award for

Academic Excellence; President’s Award for Excellence in a School; Mother Borgia

Egan Honors Award). The final selection of students who receive other awards

(Carpe Diem; Sister Carolyn Hermann Service Award; Frank Barry Leadership

Award; Alumni Recognition Award) is somewhat influenced by identifying students

who receive the academic awards. It is possible that several potential graduates,

enrolled in a May Term course, would be eligible for these awards. Their

performance in the course would be difficult to measure by the date these decisions

are finalized. Do we want to exclude them from consideration?

b. This model provides adequate time to prepare for the commencement exercises (i.e.

printing of commencement program; printing name cards; printing the graduation

script).

c. In addition, this model supports momentum for participation in commencement, a

tradition that contributes to maintaining connection of alums to the institution. If

potential graduates complete their course requirements in April, will they return to

campus for the commencement at the end of May?

d. Students who do not enroll in the January term would have the opportunity to work

between the conclusion of the Fall Term and the beginning of the Spring Term.

e. It is possible that fewer students will request approval for off-campus study if they

enroll in the January Term. Is it more likely that students would leave campus after

the conclusion of the Spring Term (4-4-1) and enroll in courses off-campus in their

home location? There could be a revenue issue in this situation.

11. Although we do not have evidence that offering a May term would lessen participation in

commencement or increase off-campus study, we do have concern about these issues.

Finally, we view the 4 -1 -4 option as more academically suitable for undergraduate

education.

__________________________________

Student Life Analysis of Pros and Cons for each option

4-1-4

Pros

1. Multicultural Center and Service Learning opportunities to create meaningful offerings for

MLK

2. Housing – we will assume students not registered for the J-term will return to their current

housing assignment

3. With smaller student census, there would be greater opportunity for spring term planning, - a

welcome slower pace in our world

4. Longer period to register transfer students - Transfer students could arrive a few days early

for orientation before classes begin

5. International students who return home will not feel they need to leave early at the end of fall

term or return late for the beginning of spring term in order to have a meaningfully long visit

home

Cons

1. If first year students are not required to register for J-term, a second wave of homesickness

during a nearly 7 week break could create retention concerns

2. The short break after the J-term could have an adverse effect on the readiness of both

students and faculty to begin the spring term

3. Students who are not registered for the J-term on campus

a. If permitted, this is a challenge

b. If not permitted, many will return early anyway creating a challenge

4. Basketball and hockey will likely have even less student support

4-4-1

Pros

1. The short term gives folks a year to work together in preparing interdisciplinary course

offerings, especially ones that would engage service learning

2. Freshmen will have had a year to engage and will likely be able to make more informed

May-term course choices

3. Students not registered for the May term will move out allowing for an early start to housing

reclamation

4. For students not registering for May term, this gives them an advantage in securing

internships and summer jobs

Cons

1. Seniors not enrolled in the May term will likely want to remain on campus until graduation –

this will likely result in a 3 week graduation party! – and challenges for those enrolled in on

campus courses

_____________________________________

Athletics preference and rationale for 4-4-1

There would be concerns with both schedules. Playoffs are kind of a hit or miss at the end of all

of our seasons, some will make it and some will not. At the end of the year there would only be a

few teams here at school, whereas in the winter you have not only the winter sports in full swing

but also the spring teams beginning their pre-season practices. Our concerns are the housing and

meals for the athletes who are not taking a course and how the new schedule would impact the

scholarships and financial aid of these student athletes. In the fall, our individual sports have to

feed their athletes for the period of time they are here before the school year begins. If they treat

taking that extra course like taking a summer course where the students would have to pay for it,

it would impact our recruiting efforts. As it is now, the PSAC league that we are in, they don't

care that their playoffs are in the middle of our terms and they are either out of school or on

vacation.

To: Michael Federici, Faculty Senate President

From: Ron Brown, Chair – Chemistry & Biochemistry

Re: Proposed Calendar Changes

October 20, 2011

Statement Regarding New Calendar

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry/Physics

There is definite support within our Department for switching to the “4-1-4” or “4-4-1” calendar.

This support is unanimous if the teaching load for Science faculty would be 5 courses/5 labs. The

faculty would be split if the switch was tied to a heavier teaching load than the 5 course/5 lab

model. Some faculty feel a switch to this model is a step in the right direction even with a

potential heavier load while others do not.

In order to investigate the effects of a new calendar, concrete plans must be made and to do so

this it is necessary to postulate a potential load. For this reason, the comments and conclusions

that are presented below are based upon the 5 course/5 lab model for Science faculty [Two

lectures/two labs in each of the two semesters and either one lecture/lab, research or

administrative release during the January term]. This is equivalent to counting the semester labs

as 2-credits for teaching load, as indicated in our proposed model. This model has been chosen

for several reasons, including (1) its citation by the Faculty Senate President as a real possibility

in discussions with the Provost, and (2) the fact that such a model has been shown to be feasible

in our Department without a significant financial impact.

Using the five-course/five lab load model, our Department is in unanimous support of switching

to the “4-1-4” or “4-4-1” system. If the load were higher, it appears that the support within the

Department may be split. There are several reasons for this support. First, we believe it is a

significant improvement pedagogically. Students will be able to spend more time applying

difficult concepts, and will have additional time in the lab. Both of these improvements will have

a positive impact on our accreditation efforts, and we strongly believe that students will benefit

from a full year in our Science sequences (General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics).

Secondly, we believe this calendar offers an advantage in terms of providing faculty with more

time for scholarly activity. It would maintain a 2 course/2 lab load during the Fall/Spring

semesters but would slow the delivery of material some, plus it would potentially provide an

opportunity for a more extensive use of time during the January or May term (henceforth

referred to as the “short” term). We would propose that faculty could be awarded “short” term

course release under a research contract. Finally, this calendar is preferable in terms of the

amount of time spent advising and the types of scheduling confusion that result from constantly

offering 2-course sequences spread over 3 terms.

Our primary concerns are that most of our traditional coursework could not be offered during the

“short” term. There may potentially be the opportunity to offer core classes, preparation classes,

lab experiences and/or research courses during the “short” term, but we are in agreement that the

traditional coursework will not be “squeezed” into this timeframe. This leads to the concern that

faculty will clamor to not teach during the “short” term and there will be few courses for students

who would like a course from which to choose. This may be addressed, however, by careful

planning of a curriculum that requires routine participation (such as 50% of the time) of faculty

and students in a “short” term course of some type.

We have looked at potential teaching/research schedules under the “4-1-4” or “4-4-1” model and

we have no question that it is feasible. A primary component of the feasibility is offering adjunct

faculty 1.5 credits for each lab section (~13 weeks) that is taught. This is actually a rate increase

over the current model (1 credit for ~10 weeks). Under this model, we would be able to offer our

necessary coursework without a significant increase in adjunct funding. The primary downside is

that many of our foundation lecture courses (General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Principles

of Physics, General Physics) would have class sizes that would increase. This increase is

expected to be on the order of 20-40 students per section increasing in size to 30-60 students per

section.

What follows is an outline of a proposed teaching load model, some of the particular aspects of

our proposal upon which this based, and a summary of some of our perceived

advantages/disadvantages of the “4-1-4”/”4-4-1” system.

Typical Yearly Teaching Load for Faculty Members

in the Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Current Proposed

Term Cours

e

Credit

Hours

Term Course Credit

Hours

Fall Lectur

e

3 Fall Lecture 3

Lectur

e

3 Lecture 3

Lab 1 Lab 2

Lab 1 Lab 2

Winter Lectur

e

3 Short

Term

Research 4

Lectur

e

3 (or

course

4

Lab 1 or chair) 4)

Lab 1

Spring Lectur

e

3 Spring Lecture 3

Lectur

e

3 Lecture 3

Lab 1 Lab 2

Lab 1 Lab 2

Total 24 Total 24

Proposed Changes

• Teaching credit for lab courses on load increases from 1 to 2 credit hours. Students will

still pay tuition and lab fees for 1 credit hour and receive 1 credit hour for lab courses.

This will help maintain a yearly 24 credit hour load for faculty and maintain reasonable

total credit hours for graduating students.

• Use the “short” term for research. Granted, this is a short period of time. However, it is

reasonable for working with students and/or writing a manuscript. Students in our

department could enroll in our capstone experience courses, CHEM 409 (2 credits) and

CHEM 410 (1 credit), Research 1 and Seminar. This term would allow each student to

work in the lab without the time constraints that are currently present with multiple

courses (i.e. large blocks of time are usually required for chemistry experiments). A

typical research contract would be for a 4-credit teaching release and occur during the

“short” term. Whether this must include work with registered students still must be

determined.

• We also propose creating a new course for the “short” term that will prepare students for

General Chemistry 1. Students would take an entrance exam in the fall, and those deemed

underprepared for General Chemistry 1 would be required to take the preparatory course

in the “short” Term. Those students could then begin the general chemistry sequence in

the spring upon successful completion of this new course.

• The labs would be increasing by 20-30% in meeting periods, therefore the overload and

adjunct pay for labs would be set at 1.5 credits per lab (equivalent to of a regular 3-

credit lecture course). Under a draft 2012-13 schedule, this would allow this change to

be made with minimal change in the adjunct budget (our model has an adjunct budget of

$26,200, an increase from $22,000 for 2011-12). Furthermore, this would make the

recruitment and retention of quality adjuncts for the labs more feasible.

Pros

• Scientific learning and teaching are most likely to improve. We will be able to cover a

slightly larger amount of material and provide a more reasonable amount of time for

learning science.

• The number of experiments in lab courses will increase. This will provide students with

more opportunities of hands-on experience, which is crucial in the chemical sciences.

• Credit hours for labs will increase. Many faculty members in the sciences are not happy

about the current 1 credit hour for lab courses. It will also maintain the 2 course + 2 lab

teaching load per semester that is a current benefit of the term system.

• Faculty will have a large block of time during the “short” term to dedicate solely to

research.

• A new preparatory course for the general chemistry sequence will help retain some

students that may normally cease enrollment due to failing this course sequence.

Cons

• Research during a January Term may not be ideal for faculty members that rely on the

outdoors. A May term would be better for this issue.

• Many science courses with lab components cannot be offered during the “short” Term

with reasonable learning outcomes.

• There will be an increase in the numbers of students in the lecture courses with multiple

sections (General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, General Physics). These will generally

increase from ~20-40 students per section to ~30-60 students per section.

• This may accelerate the need for an additional faculty member if we are to continue to

offer a variety of courses (such as in the core), and allow release time/teaching load for

additional responsibilities such as IDST, secondary education, and forensics.

REGISTRAR’S OFFICE REPORT ON CALENDAR ISSUES

The Registrar’s Office staff supports the 4 – 1 – 4 option rather than the current term system.

In addition to providing the structure that promotes fuller student engagement in the pursuit of

learning, we offer the following advantages:

Registration for the Fall semester and J Term is completed in the previous April. As a

result, the Office of Academic Affairs is given more accurate enrollment figures and can plan

course offerings for the Spring semester. The Finance Office has more complete data to forecast

revenue and expenses.

Contact hours required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education are more

reasonably implemented and sustained. In current term system, class times appear to be too long

and do not as readily promote learning. In the current system, we question the quality of

learning given the extended class times.

Since additional days are available, a reading day can be included in the academic

calendar for both semesters and the J Term.

Additional breaks can be inserted into the calendar during the semesters providing

students and faculty additional time for a more leisurely approach to study and research. We

view leisure as an essential component of learning.

The Academic Support staff has more opportunity to interact with students who are

experiencing academic challenges. The longer semester and shorter class hours accompanied by

intense tutoring may offer the underprepared student an opportunity to succeed.

Students who want to transfer to Mercyhurst University could begin their study in

January rather than waiting until March. A few students do transfer in the current Winter Term.

However, they may be completing course work at a semester school.

Students may have additional time to determine the advisability from withdrawal from a

course. In the current system, some students have completed one exam by the withdrawal date

and are not certain if the withdrawal is warranted.

Students would have more data and time to determine if they should use their pass/fail

option.

The J Term offers the possibility of focusing on and completing an internship. A focused

study abroad experience could be offered.

ENROLLMENT IMPACT ON CALENDAR

Coons, Christopher

Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2012 12:01 PM

To: Federici, Michael

Dr. Federici,

First let me thank you for reaching out to me regarding my thoughts regarding

admissions/enrollment impact on a change of academic calendar. From a traditional student

enrollment/admissions perspective, there are three significant reasons a change to a semester

calendar would be positive. First and foremost, the change to a semester schedule would allow

the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to enroll a much higher number of mid-year transfer

students. If Mercyhurst would like to enroll more transfer students throughout the year, a

semester system provides the College with a greater opportunity.

Secondly, the current trimester calendar allows students three opportunities to withdraw from the

College – after fall term; after winter term; and after spring term. Many times, it takes freshmen

several weeks/months to adjust to a new environment, with a variety of distractions,

etc…Currently, a student may be able to cease after fall term…in a semester system the College

might be able to retain that student if there were another month (or three weeks). Furthermore,

since it takes some freshmen several weeks to adjust/transition to college, the prospect of having

mid-terms five weeks into their first term of college can be quite challenging and exhausting for

students. There are possibilities that a student’s GPA might not be able to be recovered to

prevent academic probation as there isn’t enough time left in the shorter term. Again, in these

cases the student ceases their enrollment from Mercyhurst.

Alternatively, the trimester system has been a differentiating factor for Mercyhurst compared to

other institutions. While there are many other factors that differentiate Mercyhurst from our

competitors, this one difference seems to resonate with students and families.

Regarding the non-traditional or adult student population, changing to a semester system may

appear to be less attractive. Adult students may find it difficult to manage a full course load of

study (5-6 courses) and a full-time job. The Adult Office may see a change in that more students

will enroll part-time (2-3 courses) instead of a full course load. Overall, the Adult Office doesn’t

think there will be a decline in new students or that it will have a negative effect on the

enrollment of students, but that there may be an shift in part-time and full-time students. But,

that’s hard to predict at this point.

Let me know if you need anything else or if you need clarification on the items listed above.

Some of them are easier said than written.

Thank you again.

Chris

Christopher R. Coons

Mercyhurst College

501 E. 38th Street

Erie PA 16546

www.mercyhurst.edu

[email protected]

Quarters to Semesters: Benefits for Athletics

Compiled by Lauren Packer Webster

Fall 2011

• Compliance workload of nearly 600 student-athletes will be decreased

Compliance officer must certify NCAA eligibility for all student-athletes four times per

academic year operating on a trimester system. A semester system would decrease that

number to 3.

Reporting schedules at the NCAA are geared towards semester schools, which

can be at stressful times during the quarter system. Many of the NCAA rules,

some overt and others subtle, provide competitive advantages to semester schools.

• Less bureaucracy with NCAA Academics Requirements Committee

The NCAA legislation speaks only to those institutions operating on a semester or quarter

system. As a result, Mercyhurst compliance officer must annually apply for waivers and use

conversion charts.

Example 1: Each year the compliance officer must apply for a waiver to Bylaw 14.1.8.1.8.2

(Practice or Competition –Nontraditional Academic Calendars or Cooperative Educational

Programs). This waiver affects nearly every bylaw relating to eligibility of student-athletes

including 14.1.8.1 (General eligibility -- requirement for practice and competition); 14.2

(Seasons of competition: 10-Semester/15-Quarter Rule); 14.4 (Progress Towards Degree

Requirements)

Example 2: Calculating terms of eligibility or credit hours using NCAA conversion chart for

semesters and quarters/trimesters.

Calculations:

2 semesters = 3 quarters

1 semester = 3/2 quarters

1 quarter = 2/3 semesters

Similarly:

1 quarter hour = 2/3 semester hours

1 semester hour = 3/2 quarter hours

(quarter hours) /[ # of quarters (2/3)] = quarter hours per semester

(quarter hours per semester) * (2/3) = semester hours per semester

Example:

21 quarter hours in 2 quarters

21/[2*(2/3)] = 15.75 quarter hours per semester

15.75 * (2/3) = 10.5 semester hours per semester

• Greater ease for transfer student-athletes

With an academic calendar consistent with the majority of college and universities, transfer

student-athletes would have the opportunity to join the institution in the second semester

rather than waiting until the spring term or the entire next academic year.

• Class Absence Concerns

Faculty and staff are extremely concerned with missed class time due to athletics

competition. Although the semester/quarter systems affect each sport differently, for the

majority of our sports the percentage of time away from class will decrease as we transition

to the semester system.

• Classroom Experience and Care of the Student

Others have commented on the ability to engage more deeply with a subject matter in fifteen

weeks. The ability for a student-athlete to more deeply engage in a course and have extra

time to succeed will be helpful. Most athletic seasons do not impact an entire semester, but

many do impact an entire quarter. (Example: Basketball travels and practices 20 hours a

week for almost the entire winter quarter, especially if they make any postseason play. Spring

term is very limited for academic/athletic conflicts. Although this is helpful for spring term

faculty and student-athletes, winter term is extremely challenging)

• The chance to be more competitive in championships and vacation periods.

With the 14 PASSHE institutions not holding their final exam period until December our

athletes our asked to balance a greater academic load than their competitors during the

conference championships.

Example 1 Fall Term: In 2011-12, Mercyhurst’s final exam period is Nov. 14-16. Within

the four weeks preceding finals, nine teams are asked to prepare for a markedly more

demanding academic workload than their competition while trying to outperform those same

students in the athletic arena. **Nine teams are football, M/W soccer, volleyball, M/W Golf,

M/W cross country, field hockey.

Example 2 Winter Term: In 2011-12, the winter term poses a dual threat with vacation time

and finals. In basketball, the PSAC mandates crossover games between the Eastern and

Western Divisions during the first week of January. All the PASSHE institutions are on

break but Mercyhurst resumes classes on January 3. Additionally, both men’s and women’s

hockey will have missed class time as well.

Final exams for this term fall on February 20-22. Basketball is to play a league-mandated

game on Feb. 22 against Edinboro. The PSAC conference championship falls during our

term break

Example 3 Spring Term: All of the PSAC spring championships are concluded by May 5,

which means our student-athletes will again be asked to compete at the highest level possible

while maintaining an academic workload greater than the competition. The PSAC does not

schedule games or championships during the PASSHE final exam period. Moreover,

Mercyhurst teams which qualify for NCAA postseason competition are again at a

disadvantage because they are competing against teams that have already completed their

academic year.

Using 2010-11 as illustration, men’s lacrosse and baseball missed graduation weekend

because of participation in the NCAA postseason.

• Promotes better scheduling of activities involving other universities and colleges, such as

conferences and athletic events

Aligning vacation periods allows for a wider range of regional opponents to choose from

when drafting schedules.

• Ease of burden for priority registration and more efficient monitoring

With the current trimester system, many student-athletes’ seasons can overlap all three terms.

The semester system allows for better alignment of terms for priority scheduling.

Additionally, two semesters allows for efficient monitoring of eligibility, financial aid and

student accounts.

Example: Basketball overlaps all three terms, with its official NCAA championship season

concluding at the beginning of the spring term. With a semester system, the athletes benefit

from having the entire second half of the schedule fall within the spring semester. With

priority scheduling allowed in one term for the year, basketball would only be available for

priority registration in the middle third of their season schedule.

BA INTELLIGENCE STUDIES MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

Required Intelligence Studies Courses

• RIAP 177: Introduction to Intelligence Analysis

• RIAP 178: Advanced Intelligence Analysis

• RIAP 250: Professional Communications (1 credit)

• RIAP 274: History of U.S. Intelligence

• RIAP 275: Writing for Intelligence

• RIAP 276: Law Enforcement Intelligence

• RIAP 300: Competitive Intelligence

• RIAP 313: Intelligence and National Security

• (1) Intelligence Studies Elective

• RIAP 475: Internship

Required Courses External to Intelligence Studies

• CRJS 101: American Criminal Justice OR CRJS 220: Drugs, Crime, and Criminal Justice

• MIS 110: Advanced Computer Applications

• POLI 100: American Government

• (2) of following: ANTH 109 World Geography, POLI 303: Geopolitics, or POLI 400:

Political Theory

• HIST 102: U.S. History II

• ECON 105: Macroeconomics

• MATH 109: Statistics

• PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology or SOC 101: Contemporary Social Problems

Required Concentration External to Intelligence Studies

Language Concentration MIS Concentration

• Level 1 Language



• MIS 140: Computer Operations

• MIS 126: Programming I or MIS 125:

Visual Basic Programming


• MIS 260: Networks

• MIS 350: Database Management

BA Intelligence Studies Planned Offerings in New System

FRESHMEN

FALL SEMESTER J-TERM SPRING

SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intelligence Analysis

(5 sections)

RIAP 178: Adv


(4 sections)

SOPHOMORES


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications (2

sections)

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications (2

sections)

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence (3

sections)

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence (2

section)

Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence (2

section)

JUNIORS


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 274: History of

Intelligence (2

sections)


Intelligence (1

section)

RIAP 313:

Intelligence &

National Security (1

section)

RIAP 313:

Intelligence and


sections)

RIAP XXX:

Intelligence Elective (

1 section)

RIAP XXX:

Intelligence Elective

(1 section)

SENIORS


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 425: Strategic

Intelligence (2

RIAP XXX:


sections) (1 section)

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

Sample Four-Year Schedule for BA Intelligence Studies Majors with New Core and a

Minor

**Note: This schedule is highly contingent upon undergraduate students being able to take

courses in core during the J-term or M-term. It also includes an assumption of an overlap of no

more than four courses between the core, major, and a minor. Also, since the core classes have

not been picked, it can’t be anticipated that any current external to the department Intelligence

Studies major requirements will overlap with the newly developed core **

FRESHMEN


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to


POLI 100: American

Government

RIAP 178: Adv


IDST Course Minor Class CRJS 101: American

Criminal Justice

Research & Writing

Core

MATH 109 Statistics

Analysis of

Individuals & Society

I

Literary Classics

SOPHOMORES


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence

Religious Traditions

COre

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence

Global Awareness,

Responsibilities,

Religions, and Politics

I

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence

Language 1 Language 2

Arts Encounter ECON 105:

Macroeconomics

JUNIORS


SEMESTER

M-TERM


Intelligence

Philosophy Core RIAP 313:

Intelligence and

National Security

Intelligence Elective Minor Class PSYC 101: Intro to

Psych


HIST 102: U.S.

History II

Core Choice

SENIORS


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 425: Strategic

Intelligence

European or World

History

Analysis of


II

Natural Science &

Lab

Minor Class Ethics

Global Awareness,

Responsibilities,


II

Minor Class

ANTH 109: World

Geography

POLI 303:

Geopolitics

Sample Four-Year Schedule for BA Intelligence Studies Majors with New Core and a

Minor

**Note: This schedule is what will happen if core classes are not available in the J-term or M-

term It also includes an assumption of an overlap of no more than four courses between the core,

major, and a minor. Also, since the core classes have not been picked, it can’t be anticipated that

any current external to the department Intelligence Studies major requirements will overlap with

the newly developed core **

FRESHMEN


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to


RIAP 178: Adv


IDST Course CRJS 101: American

Criminal Justice

Research & Writing MATH 109 Statistics

Core

Analysis of


I

Literary Classics

POLI 100: American

Government

Minor Class

SOPHOMORES


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence


Arts Encounter ECON 105:

Macroeconomics

Global Awareness,

Responsibilities,


I

Religious Traditions

Core

JUNIORS


SEMESTER

M-TERM


Intelligence

RIAP 313:

Intelligence and

National Security

Intelligence Elective PSYC 101: Intro to

Psych


HIST 102: U.S.

History II

Core Choice

Philosophy Core Minor Class

SENIORS


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 425: Strategic

Intelligence

Analysis of


II

Natural Science &

Lab

Ethics

Global Awareness,

Responsibilities,


II

Minor Class

ANTH 109: World

Geography

POLI 303:

Geopolitics

Minor Class European or World

History

MS in Applied Intelligence Major Requirements

Required Courses

• INTL 501: Research Methods in Intelligence

• INTL 510: Intelligence Theories and Applications

• INTL 540: Competitive Intelligence

• INTL 576: Law Enforcement Intelligence

• INTL 580: Intelligence Communications

• INTL 615: Contemporary Leadership in Intelligence

• INTL 655: Managing Strategic Intelligence

Required Courses

• 3 or 4 per student depending on capstone selection

Require Capstone (choose 1)

• INTL 676: Research-based Project (3 credits)

• INTL 679 & INTL 680: Thesis in Applied Intelligence (4 credits)

MS Applied Intelligence Planned Offerings in New System

FIRST YEAR


SEMESTER

SUMMER

INTL 501: Research

Methods in

Intelligence

INTL 580:

Intelligence

Communications (2

sections)

INTL 510:

Intelligence Theories

and Applications

INTL 540:

Competitive

Intelligence

INTL 576: Law INTL XXX: Elective

Enforcement

Intelligence

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 679: Applied

Intelligence Thesis

Seminar

SECOND YEAR


SEMESTER

SUMMER

INTL 655: Managing

Strategic Intelligence

INTL 615:

Contemporary

Leadership in

Intelligence

INTL 676: Research-

based Project

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 680: Thesis in

Applied Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

Sample Two-Year Schedule for MS Applied Intelligence Student

Thesis Option

FIRST YEAR


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 501: Research

Methods in

Intelligence

INTL 580:

Intelligence

Communications

INTL 510:


and Applications

INTL 540:

Competitive

Intelligence

INTL 576: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 679:

Intelligence Thesis

Seminar

SECOND YEAR


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 655: Managing


INTL 615:

Contemporary

Leadership in

Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 680: Thesis in


Research-based Project Option

FIRST YEAR


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 501: Research

Methods in

Intelligence

INTL 580:

Intelligence

Communications

INTL 510:


and Applications

INTL 540:

Competitive

Intelligence

INTL 576: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

SECOND YEAR


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 655: Managing


INTL 615:

Contemporary

Leadership in

Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 676: Research-

based Project

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

Master List of Needed Courses

**Note: This does not recognize that some faculty may elect to teach in short term.**

Courses Needed Each Term


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to


(5 ERIE sections; 2

HS)

RIAP 177: Intro to


(1 HS section)

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications (2

sections)

RIAP 178: Adv


(4 sections)

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence (3

sections)

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications (2

sections)

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence (2

section)

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence (2

sections)


Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence (2

section)

RIAP 313:

Intelligence &


section)


Intelligence (1

section)

RIAP XXX:


1 section)

RIAP 313:

Intelligence and


sections)

RIAP XXX:


1 section)

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

RIAP 425: Strategic

Intelligence (2

sections)

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

INTL 501: Research

Methods in

Intelligence

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

INTL 510:


and Applications

INTL 580:

Intelligence

Communications (2

sections)

INTL 576: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence

INTL 540:

Competitive

Intelligence (1

section)

INTL 655: Managing


INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 676: Research-

based Project

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 680: Thesis in


INTL 679: Applied

Intelligence Thesis

Seminar

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL 615:

Contemporary

Leadership in

Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

INTL XXX: Elective

(3 credits)

28 CLASSES 29 CLASSES

Courses Without Faculty (without any overloads)


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications (2

sections)

RIAP 250:

Professional

Communications (2

sections)

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

RIAP XXX:


(1 section)

Sample Teaching Schedule for Intelligence Studies Faculty in New System

Breckenridge – 4 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 510:


and Applications

INTL 615:

Contemporary

Leadership in

Intelligence

INTL 676: Research-

based Project

Wheaton – 5 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 655: Managing


INTL XXX: Grad

Intel Elective

RIAP 425: Strategic

Intelligence

RIAP XXX:


RIAP 178: Adv Intel

Analysis

Grabelski – 4 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement Intel

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement Intel

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement Intel

RIAP 276: Law

Enforcement Intel

Wozneak – 4 load (overloaded by 1 credit or so)


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 576: Law

Enforcement

Intelligence

INTL 676: Research-

based Project (10

weeks online)

Online (or Erie)

Graduate

/Undergraduate

Course

INTL 679:

Intelligence Thesis

Seminar

Mills – 7 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence


Intelligence


Intelligence


Intelligence

INTL XXX: Elective

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intelligence

Freyn – 7 load (HAS ROOM FOR 1 MARKETING CLASS)


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 300

Competitive

Intelligence

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence

RIAP 300

Competitive

Intelligence

RIAP 300:

Competitive

Intelligence

RIAP 365: Advanced

Competitive

Intelligence

INTL 540:

Competitive

Intelligence

Zidek – 7 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

RIAP 278: Adv. Intel

Analysis

RIAP 425: Strategic

Intelligence

RIAP 278: Adv. Intel

Analysis

INTL XXX: Elective INTL 580:

Intelligence

Communications

Danzell – 7 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

INTL 501: Research

Methods in

Intelligence

INTL 633: Terrorism

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

RIAP 313:

Intelligence and

National Security

RIAP 313:

Intelligence and

National Security

RIAP 277: Terrorism

Welch – 4 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence

INTL 580:

Intelligence

Communications

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence

RIAP 275: Writing

for Intelligence

Mulligan – 3 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

New Faculty Member – 6 load


SEMESTER

M-TERM

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

RIAP 313:

Intelligence and

National Security

RIAP 177: Intro to

Intel Analysis

RIAP 178: Adv


INTL XXX: Elective INTL XXX: Elective

Classroom Space Assessment with New Schedule

RM 309 –

Seats 32

MWF Sections

8:00-9:15

9:20 – 10:35

10:40-11:55

12:00-1:15

1:20-2:35

2:40-3:50

T/TH Sections

8:00-9:45

9:55-11:40

11:50-1:35

1:45-3:30

3:30-5:25

RM 202 –

Seats 24

MWF Sections

8:00-9:15

9:20 – 10:35

10:40-11:55

12:00-1:15

1:20-2:35

2:40-3:50

T/TH Sections

8:00-9:45

9:55-11:40

11:50-1:35

1:45-3:30

3:30-5:25

RM 211 –

Seats 20

MWF Sections

8:00-9:15

9:20 – 10:35

10:40-11:55

12:00-1:15

1:20-2:35

2:40-3:50

T/TH Sections

8:00-9:45

9:55-11:40

11:50-1:35

1:45-3:30

3:30-5:25

RM 203 –

Seats 32

MWF Sections

8:00-9:15

9:20 – 10:35

10:40-11:55

12:00-1:15

1:20-2:35

2:40-3:50

T/TH Sections

8:00-9:45

9:55-11:40

11:50-1:35

1:45-3:30

3:30-5:25

So, to fit in 28-29 class per term, we would have to use all the highlighted blocks every day.

This doesn’t yet give consideration to what classes need larger rooms and which can fit in

smaller.

ADULT PROGRAMS AT SELECT INSTITUTIONS

The following institutions fall into two categories:

1. Smaller institutions with established adult programs

2. Regional institutions that have publically available information about adult students working

within the existing structure of the institution

The following institutions have established adult programs to help adult learners, in some cases,

accelerate their degree program.

Carlow The Carlow program for adult learners provides an evening college with two 8-

week sessions per 16-week semester.

http://adc.carlow.edu/

Muhlenberg The Wescoe School of Muhlenberg College offers 15 week (full semester), 8

week (condensed semester), and weekend options for adult learners.

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/wescoe/programCourseOfferings/traditionalD

egrees/

Calendar:

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/newsevents/calendar/wescoe_calendar.html

St. Ambrose The Accelerated Programs for Adults (ACCEL) at St. Ambrose offers three

sessions per semester. The length of the session depends upon the course.

http://www.sau.edu/accel.html

Calendar:

http://www.sau.edu/Documents/Areas/ACCEL/12FAACC%20for%20web%204.

3.12.pdf

Hamline Hamline offers semester and half-semester options for adult learners.

Calendar:

http://www.hamline.edu/offices/registration-records/calendars/undergrad.html

Ashland Ashland's Division of Adult Students offers 16 and 8 week courses per semester.

http://www.ashland.edu/academics/division-adult-studies

Calendar:

http://www.ashland.edu/documents/pdf/2012-2013-academic-calendar

Baldwin-

Wallace

Baldwin-Wallace's Adult Completion program:

http://www.bw.edu/admission/adult/

This program has multiple calendar options including an 8 week "minimester":

http://www.bw.edu/admission/adult/accelerate/

The following institutions are regional institutions that have publically available information

about adult students working within the existing structure of the institution. That is, evening and

(in some cases) weekend classes are available to fit the schedule of adult learners, but they take

place within the typical semester.

Edinboro http://www.edinboro.edu/departments/adult_services/adult_student_demographics.

dot?host_id=1

Behrend http://psbehrend.psu.edu/academics/academic-services/adult/current-and-incoming-

students/course-structure

Duquense http://www.duq.edu/Documents/leadership/undergraduate/_pdf/ug-calendar.pdf

Gannon http://www.gannon.edu/Admissions/Adult-Learners/

YSU http://web.ysu.edu/gen/ysu_generated_bin/documents/basic_module/adult_learners

_viewbook.pdf

Cleveland

State

http://www.csuohio.edu/enrollmentservices/registrar/calendar/

Evening & Weekend:

http://www.csuohio.edu/academic/eveningweekend.html#evening

John

Carroll

https://web4.jcu.edu:4459/PJCU/szqrterm.P_DispTerm

Canisius http://www.canisius.edu/images/userImages/flynn2/Page_13019/425.1011_PROST

D_Prof_Tech_Studies.pdf

Count of Room Column Labels

Rooms by Bldg 10/FA 11/SP 11/WI (blank) Grand Total

HC 109 95 103 307

L103 7 6 8 21 77.78%

L118 7 7 9 23 85.19%

M200 7 7 9 23 85.19%

M205 9 9 9 27 100.00%

M207 8 7 9 24 88.89%

M209 7 6 8 21 77.78%

M212 9 9 7 25 92.59%

M213 9 6 6 21 77.78%

M214 9 7 7 23 85.19%

U305 9 9 7 25 92.59%

U306 10 7 7 24 88.89%

U313 9 8 8 25 92.59%

U314 9 7 9 25 92.59%

LIBR 12 10 13 35

100 5 2 2 9 33.33%

225 7 6 7 20 74.07%

306 2 4 6 22.22%

MAIN 41 52 53 146

205 7 7 9 23 85.19%

206 5 7 8 20 74.07%

207 6 8 9 23 85.19%

208 7 7 7 21 77.78%

210 8 8 7 23 85.19%

211 2 5 4 11 40.74%

ADV LAB 1 3 2 6 22.22%

LAB 5 7 7 19 70.37%

PRES 15 15 17 47

312 8 9 9 26 96.30%

314 7 6 8 21 77.78%

SULL 24 23 25 72

1 8 9 9 26 96.30%

2 8 7 9 24 88.89%

3 8 7 7 22 81.48%

ZURN 47 44 47 138

114 8 7 8 23 85.19%

207 10 9 7 26 96.30%

213 7 6 8 21 77.78%

214 8 7 8 23 85.19%

313 6 7 8 21 77.78%

314 8 8 8 24 88.89%

(blank)

Grand Total 248 239 258 745 78.84%

4-1-4 academic calendar

Documents

th classes

terms classes

new calendar

term system

minutes mwf classes

minute mwf classes

longest undergraduate

quarter system