Title: Quarter to Semester Conversion
1Quarter to Semester Conversion
- Review of Issues, Timelines, Finances
2Very complex process
- Time 3 years
- Significant changes to nearly all processes
- Need for consultation and involvement of campus
community in identification of issues and
concerns
3Presentation Outline
- Why is the University interested? - Pros and Cons
- What is the conversion process?
- Deciding to change
- Changes involved
- Managing the change
- Costs of the change
- Post conversion
4Pros and ConsQuarters vs Semesters
- Pros and Cons Values and Priorities
- A array of potential benefits with predicted
impacts that vary depending upon what is valued
5Pros and ConsQuarters vs Semesters
- Examples of Semester Pros
- Allows for enhanced writing assignments, time for
remedial work, and improved depth of
understanding. - Text books are generally designed for semester
delivery since c 85 of U.S. higher education
institutions are on semesters - Fewer financial aid award adjustments
- Students have earlier opportunities for summer
and full time jobs but must leave jobs earlier in
the Fall if returning
- Examples of Quarter Pros
- Larger set of course options for students
- Course content that is best delivered through
repetition and more consistent exposure to
material is better suited for the quarter system - Semesters can make student budgeting financial
aid awards more difficult - larger awards must be
managed over more time by each student - August vacation schedule
6Pros and ConsQuarters vs Semesters
- Examples of Semester Pros
- Reduced administrative activities around
beginning and ending of academic terms - Potential for cost savings and/or improved
quality of service - Opportunity to schedule January mini-term
- More time to recover from a bad start in a class
- Better fit with study abroad opportunities
- Better opportunity to take GECR and major courses
concurrently - Fewer opportunities for dropping out
- Examples of Quarter Pros
- Lower cost of failure for students - financially
and in terms of opportunities to re-try courses - Transfer issues from quarter schools
- Need to carefully manage personnel resources due
to longer time periods between peak activity - Fewer opportunities for admission of students
- Take/teach fewer courses at one time
- Conversion costs - financial and opportunity costs
7Pros and ConsQuarters vs Semesters
- Need to decide which are the most important
elements. - Both systems can and have worked.
- Which system supports best the things the
University values most?
8What will we change?Areas of Conversion Change
- 1. Curriculum, Course and Pedagogic Development -
- 2. Systems Reconstruction and Procedures
Revisions (registration, financial aid, student
services) - 3. Advising (conversion of every continuing
student to a planned semester program for
graduation) - 4. Information Technology (systems development
work through in-house or outsourced change,
record keeping, historical records transition) - 5. Publications revision
- 6. Relationships with other institutions
transfer processes, transfer agreements - 7. Space utilization, scheduling
- 8. Contractual relationships re-negotiation of
relevant issues
9Decision to Make the Transition Possible Timeline
- Campus consultative process on conversion -
- Fall 2009 - Decision on Proceeding with
Conversion - Use Summer/Fall 2009 to provide further detail on
issues, potential parameters of conversion, and
assess desirability. - If decide to convert - Winter 2010 through Summer
2011 - Policy development scheduling
structures faculty develop/approve curriculum
changes - Implementation of conversion - Fall 2011 through
Summer 2012 - advertising, transfer agreements,
contractual issues, conversion plan for each
continuing student, final schedule/program
decisions - Fall 2012 - begin full operation on semester
calendar -
10Conversion Study AreasSummer/Fall 2009
- Fully assess pros and cons of conversion to a
semester calendar - Prepare detailed timeline for transition
- Propose principles for academic calendar, e.g.
start dates, length, re-start for second
semester, course credit equivalencies principles - Propose a management and communication process
for transition structure and responsibility - Identify academic policy issues, e.g.
expectations as to program size, relative
proportions of general education, major, minor,
electives, program or program neutral focus
11Conversion Study AreasSummer/Fall 2009
- Identify IT implications/cost and process
estimates - Develop a more complete detailing of transition
costs in all areas - Identify General Education implications
- Propose pre-conversion parameters
12Pre-Conversion ParametersCommon Constraints on
Decisions
- No lengthening of student time to degree
- Cost neutral outcome or savings goals
- Reduction in curriculum credits by 1/3 at macro
level without shift in percentage balance of
general education, majors, electives (not
opportunity for program expansion - proportional
conversion of curricular elements) - Seek a uniform weekly schedule built around
preferred course credit size (3 semester hour as
preferred course size?) - Faculty workload neutral maintain ability to
staff sections and serve comparable numbers of
students
13Managing the Transition
- Transition Director/Office
- Clear recommendation from other institutions of
need to centralize process in an
office/individual - Need for clear/regular communications internally
and externally - Single management function to keep things moving
14Managing the Transition
- Administrative Functions of Transition Office
- Manage processes of transition - committee
organization, membership, participation,
paperwork and record-keeping - Publicize changes and progress - keep campus
community informed, deal with external
information needs - Leadership -
- Ensure continuity and movement - press forward
with timelines, keep committees coordinating with
each other and exchanging information, see that
appropriate issues are before appropriate
committees
15Financing the Conversion
- Transition Administration Office
- Director (probably at Vice Provost level)
- Administrative Assistant - writing, records
keeping, questions - Communications Intern (?)
- Costs
- Director 120,000 benefits (3 1/2 years)
- Administrative Assistant 50,000 benefits (3
1/2 years) - Communications Intern 10,000 (3 years)
- Office setup and operations
- Setup - 10,000
- Annual - 7,000
- Total 834,500
16Financing the Conversion
- Additional pay/staff (summer work, stipends,
staff-up where beyond current staff
capability/time) - Assumes the bulk of conversion work done in load
- Curriculum revisions
- Student Services policy, procedure, publication
changes - Information Technology transition
- Estimated additional pay or staff - 1,000,000
- Total cost estimate - 1.8 - 2.0 million
17Steady StateAfter the Conversion
- Reduction assumptions
- Fewer registration processes and related services
(1/4 reduction - 3 registrations process rather
than 4) - No specific evidence found on actual savings by
other institutions
18Steady StateAfter the Transition
- Areas of potential savings/efficiencies or
quality improvement - Registration
- Financial Aid
- Information Technology
- Advising
19Potential Savings Estimates
- Assumptions of a reduction model
- Can reduce staffing in direct proportion to
registration instances - Can absorb additional duties to improve quality
of service - Can absorb University enrollment increases
without additional staff
20Potential Savings Estimates
- Assumptions contrary to a reduction model
- Peak loads of activity are still as high (little
ability to spread out some activities) - Need to maintain same staff but manage time more
effectively over lower activity periods for
better quality, e.g. better advising results in
better retention and shorter time to graduation - Goal should be cost neutral and quality
improvement - No identified studies on pre- post- cost savings
21Conclusion
- Long time frame for conversion - decision to
implementation - Need to involve campus as much as possible
- Need to anticipate as many issues as possible
- Relate transition to local issues and conditions
- Plan for costs