Students who will be in school when Ohio University switches to semesters now have a better idea of how their school days will look.
The Quarters to Semesters Steering Committee recommended the schedule, which was recently approved by Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit, according to a news release.
Beginning fall 2012, class times will begin at 7:30 a.m. and will run until 5:05 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Class times on Tuesday and Thursday are scheduled to run from 7:30 a.m. to 4:25 p.m., according to the release.
The block scheduling system provides for nine time slots on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and six on Tuesday and Thursday. Classes beginning before 3:05 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday will last 55 minutes, and on Tuesday and Thursday, they will run for 80 minutes, said Jeff Giesey, co-director of the quarters-to-semesters transition. Classes after 3:05 p.m. on any day could last 55, 80 or 110 minutes; labs not scheduled in classrooms could meet longer.
Classes will begin at 7:30 a.m. as opposed to 8 a.m. because starting later in the day would either decrease the possible number of class time slots or cause classes to run too late into the evening, conflicting with other activities, according to the release.
“It’s a matter of making sure we use our classrooms most efficiently. … Most classes will not run until 7:30 (p.m.), but we wanted the option to be there,” said Linda Lockhart, manager of communication for the quarters-to-semesters transition.
Although the schedule only applies to the Athens campus, a schedule for regional campuses modeled after the Athens schedule is being developed, according to the release.
Semester curriculums were approved on April 12, allowing the transition from quarters to semesters to shift the focus onto advising, Giesey said.
“We haven’t started on programs centrally, but some departments are further along than others,” Giesey said.
OU is currently creating a preliminary schedule to find problems and help determine classroom space prior to the switch, he added.
“We’re starting early to take corrective action,” Giesey said.
Although the entire transition is about a quarter behind than originally planned because of delays in curriculum approval, the adjusted timetable is still on schedule.
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