District considers 16-week semester
March 17, 2015
Contra Costa College District is considering switching to a 16-week semester. The Diablo Valley College Faculty Senate attempted to address some of the concerns students and faculty had about the potential semester changes during their weekly meeting on March 10, including payment for adjunct teachers and rescheduling transportation around the new semester.
The proposal is still in the early phases and changes may not be implemented until 2016, but the Faculty Senate will meet again in on March 24 to vote on a recommendation about the proposal. A survey on the proposal for all faculty is scheduled to take place the week of the vote.
Rachel Westlake drafted a rough 16-week semester schedule.
“Many four year institutions are running on a 16 week semester,” Westlake said. “Studies indicate that students are more successful on a 16-week calendar over an 18-week semester. We’re looking in terms of student success and opportunities for students to enroll in classes that are different, as well as increasing our flexibility.”
Some students were skeptical to the proposed changes and unsure about how it would affect them.
Theatre major Ken Davis, 21, isn’t worried about the proposal.
“I don’t think two weeks will make a huge difference unless it starts to impact the our holidays,” he said.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story included a quote that was inaccurately attributed to Justin Germek.
f.h. • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:11 am
Changing to a 16 week format is not a good idea. this is not about student success as it is a money issue. this is not the first time we have considered compressing the academic calendar before and what came out of it was not a compression of the 17 weeks but the days we attended class (MWF vs TTH) format. DVC chose the TTH format not that it would benefit student but because it was the “sweet spot” in which the state paid the college. ever wonder why classes end at 15 past the hour? the state will not pay a for a quarter of an hour but will round up.
Needless to say, we have not had any serious benefit from it, especial if you are a science major. going into a 16 week (15 weeks for class time and the 16 week is finals) will most likely increase the drop out rate more so now because the repeatability rules that passed.
the big question that needs to be address is what is wrong with the current system now? what we will hear is that other community college are doing it, and that we are behind the times…but are we really. this is more about keeping cost down and less classes being offered. Its about money and not student success.