4 ms·

Eight Week Semesters (2017)

19 points by snake117 7y ago

ed312 7y ago
Quarters instead of semesters have been done to great success: https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/2019/03/21/UG_2019-20.pdf https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/2019/03/21/UG_2019-2...
- leicmi 7y ago
  Same for Delft University of Technology, Netherlands: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/student/education/academic-calendar/ https://www.tudelft.nl/en/student/education/academic-calenda...
- whymsicalburito 7y ago
  All of the University of California schools (except for Berkeley and Merced) are on the quarter system. I really liked the quarter system. It really felt like professors couldn't waste your time with busy work activities. Everything was very focused.
  - nealabq 7y ago
    UC Berkeley switched from quarters to semesters in 1983 ( https://dailybruin.com/2018/06/08/the-quad-the-long-convoluted-history-that-entrenches-the-quarter-system-at-ucla/ https://dailybruin.com/2018/06/08/the-quad-the-long-convolut... ). At the time I thought it was because spring quarter is over later than spring semester (because of Christmas and New Year) and students from quarter-schools had a hard time finding summer jobs because the semester students had already taken all the jobs.
    - youeseh 7y ago
      I went to school at a Canadian university with a 4 month summer break at the end of the winter semester: just as temperatures were warming up, it would last long enough to earn tuition, rent and food for the following school year.
mraudiobook_com 7y ago
I was at Ohio State when they switched from quarters to semesters. Dumbest experience of my life. Lost all faith in higher education.
adchari 7y ago
This is a fun idea. It's well known that the reasoning for summer vacations was to allow the student to help out on a family farm, and yet most students (especially at younger ages) waste this time. At least in college students take internships, but it would be interesting to promote more co-ops or adjusting the schedule of coursework.
S_AU 7y ago
Victoria University in Australia has moved to a block model, where students do 1 course at a time, in 4 weeks. Sit the exam/assessment and then move onto the next. They do 8 courses a year (Standard Full time Australian study load)

19 points by snake117 7y ago

Quarters instead of semesters have been done to great success: https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/2019/03/21/UG_2019-20.pdf https://www.wpi.edu/sites/default/files/2019/03/21/UG_2019-2...

leicmi 7y ago
Same for Delft University of Technology, Netherlands: https://www.tudelft.nl/en/student/education/academic-calendar/ https://www.tudelft.nl/en/student/education/academic-calenda...
whymsicalburito 7y ago
All of the University of California schools (except for Berkeley and Merced) are on the quarter system. I really liked the quarter system. It really felt like professors couldn't waste your time with busy work activities. Everything was very focused.
- nealabq 7y ago
  UC Berkeley switched from quarters to semesters in 1983 ( https://dailybruin.com/2018/06/08/the-quad-the-long-convoluted-history-that-entrenches-the-quarter-system-at-ucla/ https://dailybruin.com/2018/06/08/the-quad-the-long-convolut... ). At the time I thought it was because spring quarter is over later than spring semester (because of Christmas and New Year) and students from quarter-schools had a hard time finding summer jobs because the semester students had already taken all the jobs.
  - youeseh 7y ago
    I went to school at a Canadian university with a 4 month summer break at the end of the winter semester: just as temperatures were warming up, it would last long enough to earn tuition, rent and food for the following school year.

mraudiobook_com 7y ago

I was at Ohio State when they switched from quarters to semesters. Dumbest experience of my life. Lost all faith in higher education.

adchari 7y ago

This is a fun idea. It's well known that the reasoning for summer vacations was to allow the student to help out on a family farm, and yet most students (especially at younger ages) waste this time. At least in college students take internships, but it would be interesting to promote more co-ops or adjusting the schedule of coursework.

S_AU 7y ago

Victoria University in Australia has moved to a block model, where students do 1 course at a time, in 4 weeks. Sit the exam/assessment and then move onto the next. They do 8 courses a year (Standard Full time Australian study load)