Hi Mark
Not on semesterisation per se but this was a good read for me recently
http://melbourne-cshe.unimelb.edu.au/resources/occasional-papers2/the-benefits-and-challenges-of-modular-higher-education-curricula
Graham Gibbs also refers to modularisation in
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/resources/hea_dimensions_of_quality_2.pdf
Again, not directly related but Amy Latinen’s ‘Cracking the Credit Hour” is food for thought
https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/policy-papers/cracking-the-credit-hour/
Here at Victoria University we are looking at disrupting the semester system (in operation in Australia for some time) through block timetabling. Broadly, four
sequenced modules rather than four concurrent ones. This is used in by some institutions in Sweden, Canada and North America.
https://www.vu.edu.au/about-vu/university-profile/teaching-learning-at-vu/our-first-year-model
http://www.cornellcollege.edu/one-course-at-a-time/
https://questu.ca/academics/the-block-plan/
http://x1.umwestern.edu/
BTW – I’ve yet to hear a consistent history of the development of the semester or any research on its efficacy over any other arrangement.
Best wishes
Ian
Hi Mark. You might consider widen your search (depending on your purpose) to include modularisation (in the UK a trend from the 1980’s ?), as they seem to me to be inextricably linked. My take on this is that the system we currently operate
(most HEI that is) came about through a desire to ‘chunk’ learning for institutional organisational purposes and through a belief that it would also offer students a more personalised experience where they could select from different options and move credits
between institutions using the CATS framework.
Stephen.
That’s right, traditionally courses in US colleges/universities last for a semester.
If you’re doing a chemistry or English degree, you’d likely have a core set of required courses (apart from general education courses) in chemistry and English respectively
such as Chemistry 101, 102; English 101, 102. You’d take 101 in semester 1 and 102 in semester 2.
Some colleges/universities offer accelerated courses, so you could take Chemistry 101 intensively followed by Chemistry 102 within the same semester. Many US HEIs also offer
courses to be taken during the summer, and so particularly keen students could, in theory, finish a 4 year degree in 3 years or fewer.
Dustin Hosseini, BA MA FHEA
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Lancaster University Management School
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Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but don't American courses/modules finish at the end of each semester? In the U.K. the same course/module just seems to resume at the start
of the next semester, which, both conceptually and practically, doesn't make a great deal of sense to me, or am I out of touch on developments?
Totally concur with Sally, the Christmas break is an enormous challenge to retention – this year we are introducing a programme for them to come back early in Jan for some teaching and
in-class (group/presentation) assessment to alleviate at L3 and L4. Terms are indeed more into the natural flow of life…
Professor Joëlle Fanghanel
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
University of West London |Room BY.02.014|St Mary’s Road | Ealing|W5 5RF |UK
Phone: +44 (0) 208 231 2029
Co-Editor of Dimensions of Marketisation in Higher Education
HEA Project Defining and Supporting SOTL
Ages ago I co-wrote a partly tongue in cheek article for Educational Developments called 'Why snowboarders love the semesterised curriculum' the basic argument of which was that if you
implement a semester system which means a major loss of student impetus with Christmas holidays, assessment weeks and an inter semester break, you risk high drop out, especially in first year.
Students seeing a five week break with not much happening might be tempted to clear off to do a snowboard season and never get back into study on their return. I know as it happened to
my son ( who dropped out, stayed away from study for some years, restarted and is now a successful IT specialist and father of Poppy and Lucas)
So my point is, watch out for avoidable semester timing errors if you bring in semesters
My first time posting to the list, and I hope this is the right place for such a request. I’m looking into the research base that underpins academic year structures, with a particular
focus on semesterization and I was hoping to get some recommendations for case studies and/or papers on the subject. I’m hoping to not only find some useful resources on past experiences of moving towards a semester-based calendar in UK HE, but the arguments
for and against. Many thanks in advance for whatever recommendations you might have.
