SPECIAL TO THE AUBURN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
9/10/97 Mitch Emmons ()
IN FALL 2000
AU MAKING SWITCH FROM QUARTERS TO A SEMESTER SYSTEM
AUBURN– Beginning in the fall of 2000, Auburn University will begin operating on a semester academic calendar, replacing the traditional four 10-week quarters with two 15-week terms and a 10-week Summer term.
Although different, it should be a change welcomed by the local business community, according to AU officials.
Under the current quarter system, the academic year is divided into four 10-week terms. Students begin arriving for Fall quarter in mid September and end the Spring quarter in June.
Under the semester system, Fall term will begin August 22 and end Dec. 16; Spring term will begin Jan. 10 and end May 12, with a 10-week Summer term running from June 14 - August 12.
"Students actually will be on campus for longer periods of time," said Christine Curtis, coordinator of the semester transition program.
The change which was authorized by the AU Board of Trustees in November 1996, follows a national trend and brings Auburn's academic calendar in line with other institutions – including most of the state's community colleges.
"The first and foremost reason for making the change is to provide the most effective educational environment for our students," said AU Provost Paul Parks. "Perhaps the most significant outcome of the change is that it is giving Auburn a rare opportunity to fully assess its curriculum and make revisions that will result in a stronger academic program."
"Re-designing the curriculum for a semester program is exactly that – a re-design," Curtis added. "Faculty in each of Auburn's 12 colleges and schools and its graduate school are in the process of assessing present courses and developing a curricula tailored specifically for a semester program."
Although there are students currently enrolled who will be affected by the semester transition, the first full class of students to be affected is the 1997 freshman class entering this fall.
"We started providing these students with information about the transition this summer during Auburn's new student orientation program, Camp War Eagle," Curtis said. "We've also begun a comprehensive communications effort using the campus news media catering to students, faculty and staff; the public news media; and through groups such as the Chamber of Commerce to help us inform the local business community about the process."
Among the benefits of a semester system are:
• Students will have more time between class meetings for review and preparation;
• Faculty will have more time between class meetings for preparation and student interaction;
• Faculty will have more class time for more in-depth coverage of subject matter;
• Students will benefit from the longer terms by being exposed to more in-depth coverage of the subject matter;
• Students will be available earlier for summer employment and co-op opportunities;
• The 10-week summer term with its two 5-week options can be structured to better fit students' academic needs.
• The university will produce long-term cost savings due to less startup and shutdown of various programs during the year.
Precautions are being taken to ensure that students who started their degree programs under the quarter system but are caught in the transition before completing their degrees, do not lose credit hours, the AU officials note.
"The new curriculum will provide students with a reasonable opportunity to graduate in four years, which is something that is difficult to do under the quarter system as it currently is structured," Curtis said. "Additionally, students moving from quarters to semesters in the transition will be required to meet with their academic advisors during the year preceding the transition to ensure that they assemble a program of study that will meet their academic needs."
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Sept'97:au-cofc