With the final spring quarter coming to an end, students and faculty are preparing for the semester transition. The transition has the university going from three 10 week quarters to two 14 week semesters, with a summer term still being offered.
Wright State, along with other schools still on quarters, was asked to consider switching to semesters a few years ago by the Ohio Board of Regents and the University System of Ohio according to Dr. Herbert Dregalla, Jr., Director of Semester Conversion.
One reason for schools to switch to semesters is the ease of transferability. Students can transfer between universities with much more ease if the systems were set up the same.
Wright State made the decision to switch and this past year Wright State’s been finalizing many details for the conversion.
The process of switching from quarters to semesters has been a complex process, according to Dregalla, but he believes things are going along well and that Wright State is in good shape for the change.
Right now current students that will graduate during semesters are known as transition students.
Transition students are able to complete the My Advising Plan (MAP) or a Graduate My Advising Plan (G-MAP), that lays out the rest of the classes students are to take in order to obtain a degree and also shows how classes taken during quarters transition over in semesters. Students are to meet with their advisors to complete a MAP/G-MAP.
A big message Wright State’s pushing is students should visit with their advisors.
“Students that are going in to visit their advisors with any kind of questions are coming off feeling pretty good with what’s happening,” Dregalla said.
Take 5 is a big push for Wright State according to Dregalla. Take 5 is seen all over campus and the campus’ website and is encouraging students to take five classes per semester.
Classes during semesters will be three credit hours, instead of four like in quarters.
So with the change, if a student takes five classes, they will be at fifteen hours and a full time student. Taking five classes per semester would put a student on track to receive their degree within four years.
The undergraduate programs, as well as the graduate programs, were all looked at and each program made revisions where necessary. Students can visit with their advisors, if they haven’t already done so, and find out what changes were made to their program(s).
The first day of classes for fall semester 2012 is August 27.
To find more information about the semester conversion, classes, calendars, advising and the MAP and G-MAP can be found at www.wright.edu/semesters.
