By Tanner Knauth, Page Editor
This semester has been a grueling 15 weeks, but now students can see a light at the end of the finals week tunnel. The semester is a marathon, but what if you are a sprinter?
This summer, ACU will offer shorter summer sessions. Instead of the traditional five-week summer sessions, students now can take three-week sessions. But why stop there? Students such as me, the sprinters, have a difficult time maintaining momentum throughout a long semester. By the time midterms come, I am burned out and bored with the routine.
ACU should consider adopting a system universities such as Stanford, UCLA, Denver, DePaul and Northwestern, among others, use: the quarter system.
The quarter system divides the school year into four 10-week sessions. Students usually are expected to attend three of these sessions, but may attend the fourth to graduate sooner. Stanford University, which uses the quarter system, has its autumn session Sept. 21 through Dec. 11, winter session Jan. 4 through March 19, spring session March 29 through June 9 and summer session June 22 through Aug. 4.
The quarter system is a faster paced learning environment and requires students to keep focus throughout the semester and budget their time wisely. I believe the quarter system would improve attendance in class because it would eliminate students hitting “the wall” or getting bored by classes that seem to drag on forever.
Students wishing to graduate earlier would love the quarter system and the ability to obtain 48 credit hours a year (12 credit hours each session). Because of the ability to take more classes in a year, students also can graduate as a double major in a timelier manner.
ACU also could adopt a schedule similar to schools in Australia and New Zealand that break up their quarters to give students four weeks off during Christmas and 2-4 weeks off for Easter. This could be extremely appealing to students at a Christian university who want to spend extended time with their families during Christian holidays.
Some students may not like the quarter system. They like the slower paced semesters and the long summer breaks. Most colleges and universities in America still use the semester system, which is why ACU should do its homework before adopting the quarter system. The administration can use the success or failure of the faster paced summer schedule to gauge student interest. It also could experiment with a few 10-week classes during the fall and spring to see if students are interested.
Another argument against the quarter system is how it would affect the study abroad program. However, ACU could look to the example of Northwestern and its ability to have a successful study abroad program.
The quarter system definitely has pros and cons, but I feel the pros outweigh the cons. A faster-paced educational environment that requires more time management not only prevents boredom, but also prepares students to work in a fastpaced work environment.
As ACU faculty and administration continue to evaluate the curriculum, they also should look at alternative scheduling options, which could create a unique and challenging educational atmosphere.
