The Semester System: Implications and Questions for Continuing Education
When curriculum programs covert to the semester sys
tem in fall 1997, should ContEd also make the move? What
is to be gained or lost by the move? What implications
does such a decision in either direction have for the pub
lished class schedule, for class length, for fees, for FTE’s,
for ContED administrators, and, most importantly, for
ContEd students? With FQ97 nearly two years away, you
may assume that it's too early to start thinking about the
potential impact on Continuing Education, but consider this:
If your curriculum people are starting now to plan for the
cconversion, then it's now on your President's mind, and if
it's on your President's mind, you should be ready to dis
cuss it as well.
Should Continuing Education convert to the semester
system? Before you answer a resounding "No!," can you
explain w/iy not to your President? Can you explain why-
-if your curriculum and ContEd schedules are now distrib
uted together—your college should spend the extra money
to distribute them separately at different times? Do you
have "expert testimony" (perhaps from LERN) or figures
to back up your arguments? Have you considered that there
may be reasons why, to your President, having ContEd on
the semester system might make sense?
One reason for remaining on the quarter schedule is that,
at the very least, moving OCCU courses to a semester sched
ule would result in a small loss of FTE's. After all, an 11-
week OCCU course offered in FQ-WQ-SpQ equals a total
of 33 weeks; by contrast, a converted OCCU course of
fered for two 16-week semesters equals a total of 32 weeks.
On the other hand, a shared semester schedule—with all
advertised courses beginning at the same time—means that
the curriculum and ContEd schedules could be combined
into a single course schedule for FS, SpS, and the Su ses
sion. This "neat and tidy" option might look very attractive
to some presidents. The alternative, with ContEd begin
ning at different times curriculum, would mean that sepa
rate curriculum and ContEd class schedules would have to
be published. For example, curriculum would have FS
beginning in August, whereas ContEd's FQ would begin in
September; curriculum would begin its SpS in January, but
ContEd would begin its Wq in December and its SpQ in
March. Both programs could share a brochure for their
summer classes. The point is this: While you may feel that,
philosophically, the quarter system is a better option for
ContEd, the "separate schedules" issue moves the debate
from the philosophical to the budgetary, and in the fiscal
realm presidents have minds of their own.
In regard to beginning OCCU courses at the same time
as curriculum, would ContEd students be willing to spend
16 weeks in what has previously been 11-week courses? If
so, fine, but if not, FTE's would be lost. Or, worse, if classes
began with the semester but continued on an 11 -week sched
ule (with a large gap between semesters), then lots of FTE's
would be forfeited sinee there would only be tsvo 11-week
periods (FS & SpS) instead of three (FQ, WQ, SpQ). More
over, if we converted from 11-week to 16-week classes,
would the legislative powers-that-be feel it necessary to in
crease our OCCU registration fee also by about 45%, from
$35 to $51? And what effect could we expect that to have
on our registrations and FTE's?
Similarly, in ComServ ContEd, two registration periods
(FS & SpS) rather than three (FQ, WQ, SpQ) would cut
ComServ's ability to generate revenue by 1/3. Lengthening
the courses to 16 weeks (and increasing the fees) is not a
reasonable option for ComServ, which is not FTE-fimded.
In ComServ, the longer the course, the more money is ex
pended without any FTE or monetary gain, so the goal is to
run shorter classes, not longer. Again, as in OCCU, higher
fees would likely result in a decline in registrations.
These are some of the many questions and a few of the
arguments that will arise in the next fifteen months before
budgets for fiscal year 97-98 will be finalized. While it is
perhaps too early to become obsessed with the answers, it
is not to early to start generating the right questions. You
never know when your president may start asking ques
tions, and you can't take for granted what his/her answers
will be.
Submitted by Rob Everett
Partnerships In Haywood County
Education, employment and training is what partnerships
are all about in Haywood County. Organizations have
banded together to provide easily accessible services to
JOBS participants. These partnerships help clients break
down barriers and provide a direct route to self sufficiency.
Here's how it works. Recruitment, day care and trans
portation is coordinated by the Department of Social Ser
vices using Southwestern Child Development day care and
Mountain Projects, Inc. county transportation van.
Haywood Community College provides a five week ori
entation and motivation class called "Alternatives" through
the Human Resources Development program and ABE/
GED classes through the Basic Skills Department. GED
testing, developmental classes, learning lab assistance, and
financial aid provided by the college help participants en
roll in college curriculum programs.
Two churches have provided classroom space as well as
utilities and maintenance for the class rooms. Church mem
bers have provided holiday gifts for participants and their
children and served a free meal each week to participants.
The Employment Security Commission provides job leads
and other employment assistance.
In the beginning, "bugs" had to be worked out, but each
partner was more than willing to go the extra mile to plan
and administer a link of this partnership chain. These ef
forts have contributed to the beginnings of a one-stop cen
ter for the county.
Participant evaluations of the program have been excel
lent, and successful participants have been a major source
of recruitment for the program. Haywood County organi
zations are putting the customer first and, as a result, pro
viding success for partners as well as participants.
Submitted by Judith Smith, Chair