CONVERSION OF SEMESTRAL TERM TO TRIMESTRAL TERM FOR GRADUATE

PROGRAMS
A Concept Paper

EDNA MAE D. CRUZ

Institute of Education, Arts and Sciences
+639430911169
Proponent

RATIONALE:

With the vision to become an outstanding and globally competitive higher education
institution, the Bulacan Agricultural State College (BASC) is building the capacity to deal with
the emerging national and global concerns. Its commitment towards producing quality human
resource prompted the College to shift its academic calendar from June-March to August-May
and in response to Republic Act 7722, stating provisions for some leeway for higher education
institutions to establish their own academic calendars and set their opening days in order to
encourage innovations and the exercise of academic freedom among institution of higher
learning. This shift opens the doorway to more opportunities and partnerships with other colleges
and universities, scholarships, research and extension collaboration and other programs for
student and faculty mobility.

This academic calendar shift affects DepEd

OBJECTIVES:

Transcript of Quarterm System in Mapua

Abstract
This research aimed to showcase the problems students faced against the
Quarterm system and as well as the harmful effects of these problems.

This is important to the School authorities so

This research provided information that

In order to gather reliable information,

It is concluded that the Quarterm system

Consequently, there are recommended steps.

Quarterm System
Stress
Suicides
"Learning is not memorizing the exact words from the book. Learning is
understanding it and being able to explain it in your ow words."
Three Idiots (2009)
Quarterm System in Mapua
"By changing the educational system,
we change the world". Three Idiots (2009)
Andre Magracia
Angelo Idea
Ced delos reyes
"Breezy Boys"
However having advantages to students recent studies show a very
shocking result. Why? Stress.

Burn out

10-week quarter system

Feelings of being overwhelmed due to assignment overload were also listed

as possible sources of stress.
Taking into fact the number of stress a student experiences, there comes a
time where the student just cant handle the stress anymore and the pain
felt. Unfortunately, because of this the student commits the unethical
thought of suicide.
According to Union in his website Stress driving pupils to suicide

He called the current suicide prevention strategy "piecemeal" and said

mental health care was not available in all schools.

3 Idiots

Teen suicides are on the rise due to exam pressure. The crushing pressure
on South Korean teenagers to perform well in exams can leave some
students so distraught they feel life just isn't worth living.

3D concept of stress
emotional
exhaustion
depresonalization
3D concept
overwhelming exhaustion
feelings of cynicism
detachment
Stress Study

73% of children are pressured

Increase in students KILLING themselves
SOCIAL

PEER PRESSURE
John Harkin

between 600 to 800,

15 to 24 year olds kill themselves each year
Effects of stress

crying 76%
withdrawal 70%
agression to others 68%
verbal abuse 64%
bullying 53%
fighting 48%
Sleep

8 hours of sleep

5 hours for sleep and 11 hours studying

Tips
1. Do the reading
2. Always be working on something
3. Meet your professors
4. Be prepared for midterms
5. Go to class
" Grades do not defy a person. Its what you know and what you can do, not
for something you show in a piece of paper. "
More presentations by Mari Lorica
P RO D U C T C O M PA N Y

PROS AND CONS OF THE TRIMESTER SYSTEM

Posted by Xavier '16 | Apr 10 | Academics, Classes | |

https://muse.union.edu/unfiltered/2014/04/10/pros-and-cons-of-the-trimester-system/
 Plot of intensity during each week of the trimester.

Union College is fairly unique in that it has an academic trimester system. Instead of two long
semesters, there are three, ten week, trimesters.

The short term allows you to:

Focus intensely on only a few subjects at a time.

Quickly move on to new topics throughout the year.

Experiment with short-term research and class projects.

The trimesters are certainly intense: there is very little down-time and courses pick up speed
quite quickly. The first day may remind you an episode of Sesame Street but by the end the
week, the Cookie Monster will have long since returned to his trash can. There is also no room to
fall behind. There are only a few weeks between each exam/paper, so you really have to prepare
for them throughout the term.

Overall, this approach is excellent if you have an active learning approach and want to be rapidly
presented with interesting material. You will rarely be bored by your classes. In fact, your
greatest challenge will be to balance the coursework with your other activities.
College Calendar Pros and Cons: Semesters vs.
Trimesters
by Dan Bi Han
High School Student

Bookmark

AUG 2016

Tue

02
Just like high schools, colleges vary in the academic calendar they follow. While the vast
majority of colleges (over 70%) use the traditional fall/spring semester system, there are
many colleges that follow the trimester system, quite a few on the quarter systemand
some that do their own totally different thing. So, clearly, each calendar has its pros and
cons.

If you are thinking about your college choices, take a moment to read up on these different,
common academic calendars. Which one do you like better for your college life?

Semesters

You are probably familiar with the idea of semesters, since most high schools operate on
this system too. These colleges divide their school year into two semesters: one in fall, which
usually runs from August to December, and another in spring, which starts in January and
ends in May. The two terms, of course, are divided by one or two weeks of lovely finals. Each
semester lasts about 15 weeks, and students on average take four to five classes per
semester.

Now that the technical details have been covered, lets focus on the advantages and less-
than-advantageous aspects of colleges that function on the semester calendar.

Pros
In-depth instruction. Classes span over a lengthy period of 15 weeks, so students
have more time absorb and expand their thoughts on challenging college materials.
Not only are they able to learn new ideas but they are also encouraged to develop
 various skills since their professors incorporate learning in creative assignments and
projects.
Greater collaboration between students and faculty. It never hurts to know your
professors on a personal basis, and the ample time allotted by the semester system
gives students time to get to know their instructors better and vice versa. The more
time the students spend on interacting with their professors, the stronger their
bonds become, and the brighter their futures will be!
Smoother transition from high school to college. Concordia University expertly
points out that the semester calendar allows high school students more time to
adjust to rigorous college courses. And even if they start off the year on the wrong
foot, they will still have enough time to improve their academic performances.
Cons
Fear of new classes. Students might be less likely to explore classes in new
subjects since they might be afraid of the half-year commitment. As a result, they
might miss out on the chance to discover their dormant interests or expand on their
existing ones by taking various college courses.
Shorter summer term with longer hours. Many colleges also offer some summer
classes, and since the summer session is significantly shorter than the fall and
spring semesters, the same amount of information must be taught in a much
shorter time. So summer classes may not offer the same quality of learning as the
classes during the year. Not to mention the classes themselves tend to be super
long.
Trimesters

As its name suggests, the trimester calendar divides the school year into three segments;
the catch here is that the trimester system is often called the quarter system because they
are exactly the same schedule, except that the quarter calendar includes summer as its
fourth term. Colleges with these calendars generally begin in mid-September and end in the
middle of June, which is considerably later than schools that function on semesters. Since
there are more terms in a year, each fall, winter, and spring trimester is only 10 weeks long.

Pro
Only three classes per term. More terms per year means more opportunities to
take classes, so on average students take only three classes per session. The
obvious perks are that they can better focus on their classes since they have less to
worry about and that testing seasons wont be as stressful with less assessments to
clear.
Dont like a class? No worries. Remember how each term is only 10 weeks long?
Well, that means if you happen to stumble into an extremely unpleasant class with
an evil professor who likes to torture his pupils with his impossible tests, you arent
 stuck in that class for a long time. The pain will be over soon On a more serious
note, this shorter commitment allows students to explore various subjects and
classes without feeling like they have to be devoted for half a year.
Never too late to raise your GPA. The freedom to take many classes throughout
the year provides the students with golden opportunities to raise their GPA. One or
two bad grades do not affect their averages as much because they have taken (or
can take) several classes and receive good (cushioning) grades.
Two graduation dates. Students can graduate after either the fall or the winter
trimester. For those who are struggling to earn the last few units needed for a
diploma, this can be a huge plus as they technically have a second chance to
graduate within the same year.
Cons
Textbook costs. Although the academic calendar does not affect the tuition in
general, it can be more costly to attend schools on the trimester system because
students need to purchase new textbooks not two but three times a year. And of
course, textbooks are pricey, so this expense can become a major burden for some
college students.
Faster paced learning. The rigor and amount of information taught in a trimester
class is equivalent to those of a semester class. In exchange for taking fewer
classes per term, students really have to gear up and brace themselves for the
intense pace of their classes, or else they can easily fall behind even in the short
10-week period.
Greater academic pressure. The freedom to take numerous courses can become
a burden, especially on academically competitive campuses. Students might even
feel obligated to double-major or take on a (extra) minor because thats what
everyone around them seems to be doing.
Even if not everyone is actually an overachiever, the pressure to go that extra
mile can become quite stressful.
Schedule conflicts. This is considered the greatest downside of the trimester
system. Starting and ending the school year unconventionally late can create
some issues with scheduling summer internships, study abroad programs, or
family vacations.
And then the iffy one
Shorter winter and spring breaks. For some, this is a huge no-no (if you are
anything like me, you live for those sweet breaks). Others welcome shorter
breaks because it means less downtime, and, consequently, they can remain
focused throughout the entire school year.
 http://www.brighthub.com/education/college/articles/112035.aspx

The College Trimester System

Explained
Understanding the College Trimester System
written by: Ellie Walkeredited by: Wendy Finnupdated: 8/19/2013

Learn about the different aspects of the college trimester system, including scheduling,
graduation dates, tuition, and the main pros and cons.

Two or Three Semesters?

While most schools operate on the semester system, schools that incorporate trimesters into

their curricular structure feature three academic sessions during the

school year, rather than two. Many of these schools also refer to this setup as the quarter
system, as there is a fourth optional academic session during the summer. Generally,
schools with trimesters start later in the year--around mid-September--and end later in the
year towards the middle of June. The two main breaks, winter break and spring break, occur
just before the winter and spring trimesters. Students who plan on graduating early have
more options for graduation times, as they can graduate either after the fall trimester or
after the winter trimester.

Students on the college trimester schedule usually take one fewer class per session
than those on the standard semester-based schedule. Often this means that full-time
students will take either three or four classes at a time, as opposed to the four or five
classes usually required of semester students. This will result in an average of 12 courses
per year, compared to the average of 10 courses per year for semester systems.

Tuition and Fees

Colleges with trimesters and quarters generally do not cost more per year than those with
semesters. Each trimester will cost less than each semester, but the total tuition for the full
year will be about equivalent. Sometimes the cost of books can be slightly greater for
 students taking trimester-long courses, as they will have to buy new books three times
during the year instead of twice. The trimester system also offers opportunities to save
money, however, as students graduating after the winter trimester will pay less tuition for
their senior year.

Main Advantages and Disadvantages

Some of the main advantages of the college trimester system include flexibility, diversity of
available classes and the structure of year-long classes. Students generally have more
flexibility in the classes that they take, since there are more open slots for new classes
during the year when compared with the semester-based setup. With 12 available slots,
students have more opportunities to take a more diverse range of classes than they
otherwise would. This not only enables them to take more classes in subjects they love, but
it also means that unpleasant classes or difficult general education requirements are shorter
in length. Additionally, year-long classes are broken up into three segments, rather than two,
which places less pressure on students during midterms and finals.

The main disadvantages of the trimester and quarter schedules are course load, academic
pressure, and start and end times. Some students feel like their course load is too heavy
with a trimester or quarter setup, as they are required to learn material at a faster pace.
Midterms and finals occur back-to-back, and it can be difficult to find time to catch up on the
material if a student gets behind. Similarly, the wide range of available courses can place
more academic pressure on some students, who feel more obligated to double major, take
on an extra minor, or participate in demanding certificate programs. Last, colleges on this
schedule start and end later in the year, which can make summer internships, vacations, or
time spent visiting friends at other colleges much more difficult to coordinate.

Overall, students should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the college trimester
schedule to see what learning style works best with their individual preferences.

Source: authors own experience