Report of the Semester Conversion Task Force - California State ...

Semester Conversion Task Force ReportFitting courses into termsTable 1 illustrates some of the ways in which courses of various sizes can fit terms of various lengths.When examining Table 1, realize that a consequence of separating the notion of a unit of credit fromthe number of weeks in a term is that the number of hours required per week varies with the number ofweeks. For example, one semester unit requires 15 instructional hours. To fit those hours into 15 weeksrequires one hour per week. But one could also put all 15 hours into a single week, or stretch them over5 weeks—which would require 15/5 = 3 hours per week. To fit 15 hours into 10 weeks would require15/10 = 1.5 hours per week. To fit 15 hours into 14 weeks—the Task Force recommendation—requires15/14 = 1.07 hours per week. In Table 1, this is shown as the column Instructional hours per week forone unit.Each row in Table 1 represents a different approach to fitting courses into terms.A. This row, a traditional quarter, has 10-week terms and uses quarter units. A quarter unitrepresents 10 instructional hours, delivered at a rate of 1 hour per week. A course of 4 quarterunits, the CSULA standard, requires 4 hours per week.B. This row represents the same amount of instruction over the same period of time as row A, butis counted in semester units. Both row A and row B refer to 40 instructional hours—four hours aweek for 10 weeks. Row B counts that amount of instruction in semester units. Since 15instructional hours is one semester unit, 40 instructional hours is 40/15 = 2.67 semester units. Inother words, row B demonstrates keeping the current CSULA schedule and catalog exactly asthey are but counts credits in semester units. Row B represents the simplest possibleconversion. CSULA could convert to semesters by doing nothing but multiplying all unit numbersin the catalog by 2/3. Of course, a drawback of this approach is that it requires the use offractional units. A student might say that she is taking 4 courses for a total of 10 2/3 semesterunits. But fractional units add up just as integral units do. The student will graduate when shecompletes her requirements and accumulates 120 semester units.C. This row, the traditional 15 week semester, has courses of 3 semester-units each, the standardagainst which conversion options are generally measured. Most semester courses are 3semester units—or 3 x 15 = 45 instructional hours. To be semester compatible, convertedcourses should primarily be 3 semester units.D. This row, the 14 week semester, has become common and is a Task Force recommendation.Courses of three semester units—i.e., 45 instructional hours—consist of 14 rather than 15 weeks.Each semester unit requires 15/14 = 1.07 instructional hours per week.E. This row, like the preceding two, delivers all instructional hours in 10 weeks rather than 15 or 14.Each unit requires 15/10 = 1.5 instructional hours per week. It is an interesting approachbecause it offers the possibility of three semesters during each regular academic year whileremaining semester compatible.F. This row represents the traditional 15 week semester if the standard course were 4 semesterunits instead of than 3.G. This row is the same as the preceding except that instruction time is 14 weeks.H. This row is the same as the preceding except that instruction time is 10 weeks.10