Quarter to Semester Conversion

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Quarter to Semester Conversion

• Review of Issues, Timelines, Finances

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Very 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

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Presentation 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

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Pros 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

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Pros 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

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Pros 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

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Pros 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?

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What 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

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Decision 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

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Conversion 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

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Conversion 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

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Pre-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

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Managing 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

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Managing 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

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Financing 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

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Financing 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

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Steady 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

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Steady StateAfter the Transition

• Areas of potential savings/efficiencies or
  quality improvement
• Registration
• Financial Aid
• Information Technology
• Advising

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Potential 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

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Potential 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

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Conclusion

• 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