Cuesta College will change the semester experience next academic year by moving from the current 18-week schedule to a 16-week schedule, altering class dynamics and establishing a full week off during Thanksgiving week.
The change was not a sudden decision. “This really started five or six years ago, this conversation about moving to a shorter semester, “ said Jason Curtis, vice president of instruction at Cuesta. “It started just before the pandemic, and then the pandemic kind of put all these conversations on hold, but it’s been in the back of everyone’s mind, and we’ve slowly been working toward it again.”
As outlined in California regulations, the hours a student needs to study, inside or outside the classroom, for a credit are clearly defined. Therefore, the amount of time that students will spend on a class will not change. Classes will instead run a little longer and may require more time outside of class to cover more material. Curtis gave an example for people to calculate this shift in workload themselves: “It’s 18 hours in class per unit. So those are 54 hours right now, spread over 18 weeks, and we’re going to have to compress that to 16 weeks. (…) A lecture that meets for 54 hours is supposed to have 2 hours of outside-of-class work for every hour in class. So again, that is 108 hours of work that you’re supposed to do for homework outside of class. You’re only going to have 16 weeks to do that. So everyone’s work week gets 1/8 longer, or about 12% longer.”
The shift to 16 weeks is in line with many other community colleges and will also align with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s shift from quarter to semester practices. “We felt like this was the right time to move at the same time they did so that both colleges will have semesters about the same length,” Curtis said.
The majority of the faculty have been in favor of this change, despite the need to update lecture templates and weekly homework loads accordingly. “As the time worked will stay the same for faculty, the budget will not really change that much in this regard,” Curtis said.
Additionally, students can now enjoy a full week break during the Thanksgiving week, opening up more travel possibilities and relaxation time before the Finals. This aims in part to make Thanksgiving travel easier for students and families: “There won’t be any classes the week of Thanksgiving, which matches most of our local schools and Cal Poly, and so now that whole week will be off, and it’s later in the semester,” Curtis said.
The 16-week semester will start next academic year on Aug. 17 and will run until December 11. Curtis voiced his optimism for this change: “Shorter semesters tend to have higher student success, and we hope to see this at Cuesta as well.”
