Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 14. June 20, 1975

A Suggestion

A Suggestion

After this brief outline of some of the issues in the debate, I would like to suggest a timetable I think would suit most people. Its major features:
1.The scrapping of the June exam period, and three week holidays in May and August at the same time as other universities. There could be a June study week as well—there is nothing sacrosanct about a 26-week teaching year—other universities don't have it.
2.With all exams at the end of the year, courses could either be block taught or run throughout the year. This decision should be left up to the students and staff in each class at the beginning of the year—timetabling should be no problem as most block courses now have other courses in the same subject in the other half of the year at the same times of the week (eg. Econ. 201 and 202, Hist. 201 and 203).
3.A careful look at the workloads of each course should be undertaken with a view to rationalising most part-unit courses to six credits. (History has recently done this for its stage two and three courses.) The primary benefit of this is to decrease the number of exams students are required to sit—it also allows a clear amount of work to be prescribed for each course.
4.The present pre-set exam timetable, which restricts students choice of the courses they can take, can be removed with the longer period of time available for the exam timetable to be drafted.

The rules are very simple - DONT!

This is a broad proposal—but then the present debate is about broad proposals. One major benefit in it—on an even broader and more nebulous consideration—is that it should reduce pressure on students in the first and early second terms, thus allowing more time for the hallowed non-academic 'university life'.

Undoubtedly many people will prefer other proposals—let them bring them forward! Only through a full discussion can we hope to arrive at a University timetable that is as acceptable as possible to as many as possible. And if the University is to really function in the interests of people this sort of democracy is vital.

(using the 1975 Calendar) Week begining Present system Semester Three-term Feb 24 Enrolment Enrolment Enrolment March 3 10 17 24 31 April 7 Nine weeks Fifteen weeks Ten weeks 14 lectures lectures lectures 21 28 May 5 Two weeks 12 holiday Three weeks 19 holiday 26 Five weeks June 2 Study week lectures Three weeks exams 23 Two weeks 30 exams Ten weeks July 7 Enrolment lectures Five weeks lectures 14 21 28 Aug. 4 11 Two weeks 18 holiday. Three weeks holiday 25 Fifteen weeks Sept. 1 lectures Seven weeks 8 15 22 Six weeks lectures 29 Oct. 6 13 Study week Study week Study week 20 27 Four weeks Three weeks Four weeks Nov. 3 exams exams exams 10

Comparative Timetables

Note: these are only illustrations of what could happen, they are in no way alternative proposals. For explanation see text.