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JamesMoyer james@moyer.com re:Backgroundinformationforpotentialperformanceaudit StateAuditorYost: Ipresenttoyouandyourofficethecasetoundertakeaperformanceauditofthe quarterstosemesterstransition,affectingfouruniversitiesandthirteencommunity collegesandatleast250,000students. ThebackgroundisthatthistransitionisencouragedbytheOhioBoardofRegents tostandardizetoacommoncalendarstatewide,asatoallowfortheeasiertransfer ofcreditsbetweeninstitutionsandimprovethelongtermefficiencyofthe system. Thefollowingissubmittedinresponsetotheseclaims: Thisisarepeatofhistory,whichwassubsequentlyabandoned:In1966 theOhioBoardofRegentsrequiredthatallpublicinstitutionsinOhiobeon quartersforthe1968schoolyear.

oolyear.ThiswaspartoftheBoardofRegents MasterPlanforHigherEducationwhichwasbegunin1963,andisan amusingechooftodaysTenYearBoardofRegentsStrategicPlan.The Washington State University Academic reasonscitedin1966areverbatimtothereasonstoday.i Calendar: Semesters vs. Quarters
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In1974theBoardofRegentsabandonedtherequirementforacommon calendarwithassurancesthatproblemsrelatingtotransferabilityofcredit change was the Western Governors coalitions desire for coordinated delivery of classes and compatibility with the other universities. However, the single articulationamonginstitutionscanbeworkedout.ii largest factor that is influencing
accommodating transfer students, and that there would be better alignment with other Acommoncalendarisnotconsiderednecessaryforoptimalcredit systems. transferability.iii moving to a semester system seems to be the perception that it improves the process of A comprehensive study regarding the issue of semesters vs. quarters was released by a task force at Ohio University 1997 (Calendar Study Task Force 1996-97). Ohio University was examining moving from a quarter calendar to a semester calendar. (They retained their quarter calendar.) The study reports that many of the schools studied had hoped for more transfer students as a result of the change. However, none reported this as an observable result. In fact, there are currently degree audit systems and course alignment methods (e.g. Course Applicability System) that accommodate student mobility regardless of the academic calendar employed. In fact, UCLA disagreed with the commonly held perception that the transfer student process is easier when everyone is on the same system. They point out that a sophisticated university can easily handle this by multiplying by 2/3 and 3/2 and by not getting too concerned over .5 credit hour differences in courses.

Muchtimeandresourceshavebeeninvestedtoassurecredit The Ohio University report also notes that although more colleges and universities have been transferability.Currentpubliccolleges/universitieshavebeensplit changing to semester calendars over the past several years, there have been unanticipated issues.
In fact, one member of the task force reports that several schools changing to a semester academic calendar have experienced difficult and traumatic periods of adjustment. Those that have remained with the quarter calendar also have discovered new challenges. For example, with the trend toward semesters, more textbooks are being written for schools using semesters and other higher education activities (e.g. professional conferences for faculty

betweenquartersandsemesters,andthishasbeenthecasesince2000. Between1978and1996,2/3rdofstateinstitutionswereonquarters.In November1990theBoardofRegentsimplementedasystemtorequire transferabilityofcreditsbetweeninstitutions.Theboardminutesmention nothingaboutcommoncalendarissues,eventhoughthestatewasona2/3rd calendarsplit.Credittransferabilityissueswereattributedtofastgrowthof thehighereducationalsysteminOhio(newinstitutions)plusthe proliferationofdegreesavailable.iv Shockingly,itisunknownhowmanystudentssuffertransfercredit issuesduetocalendarissues,norisitknownhowtransfercreditissues willimproveafterthetransition: Question4:Generallythischangeisoftensupportedasbeing advantagesinregardstoclasscreditfromoneinstitutiontoanother. Howmanystudentstransferbetweenthetwodifferenttypesof institutions?Howmanyofthesestudentsreceivelessthanideal transfercredits?Howmanystudentswouldreceivebettertransfer creditsoncethetransitioniscompleted? Response:[.]Wecannotanswerthequestionofhowmanystudents receivelessthanidealtransfercreditorhowmanywouldbebetteroff afterthetransition.v

Furtherissues: NoROIcalculationforthistransitionhasbeenmade: Question5:Usingthisdataprepared,whatwouldbeareasonableROI (returnoninvestment)calculationfortheentireswitchtosemesters? Response:Thereasonformovingfromquarterstosemesterswasnot aboutsavingmoneyandthereforeaROIwasnotcalculated.vi Previoustransitionswererejectedonfinancialgrounds: Thereportalsostatedthattheuniversitysfinancialsituationisnot whereitneedstobeformajorchangeslikethesetotakeplace.(Ohio University,2007.)vii Theissueofconvertingtoasemestercalendarwaslastaddressed formallybytheuniversityin1991,whentheUniversitySenateAdHoc CalendarCommitteedidafeasibilitystudyontheissue.The committeeconcludedthatthetimingfortheconversionisnot currentlyfavorable.Conversionmightbeconsideredinabetterfiscal climate.viii Quartersareconsideredthesuperiorsystemforgraduatingstudentsin threeyears:GovernorKasichhasproposedencouragingpublicinstitutions

tograduatestudentsinthreeyearsinsteadoffour.Itsohappensthatthat wasoneofthereasonsforthestatewideswitchtoquartersin1966.ix Studentswillbeabletocompletetheireducationinthreeyears.x Thequartersystemwillencourageplantutilizationonayearround basis.xi Proponentssaiditwasdesignedtobetterutilizeaschoolsphysical plant,allowingaccommodationofmorestudentswithoutnew buildings,andgivingstudentsachancetoobtaindegreesmore quicklythroughyearroundattendance.xii Numerousquestionsregardingthistransitionremainunanswered,anda performanceauditwouldbeidealinhelpingshedlightonthem: Whatisthetruecostofthestatewidetransitiontosemesters?Thisnumberis likelyabove$100millionxiii,butremainsunknown.OhioStatecurrently calculatesitstransitioncostasbeingbetween$8.7and$11.2million. Howevertheadhoccommitteein1991calculatedthecostat$19.3million.xiv Certaincapitalcostsarenotincludedinthisfigureforinstance,OhioState isinstallingairconditioningindormswhichlackit,duetotheAuguststartof semesters.Thecostsoftheserenovationsshouldalsoincludethecostto studentsofbeingdoubledupinrooms,becausethenonairconditioned dormshavetobeshutdownsimultaneouslytomeettheAugust2012 renovationdeadline.Furthercapitalcostsareunknown,norisitknown whetherornotclasssizeswillremainthesame.(anincreaseinclasssizes wouldobviouslybeacosttostudents.)Itmayalsobepossiblethatclassroom capitalisnotsufficient:Thecommitteesfindingscitedoccurrencesfrom otherinstitutionsthathaveimplementedsimilarchangeswheretherewasa needfor10percentto15percentadditionalclassroomspace.xvOthercosts tostudentsincludetakingextraclassesnowtograduatebeforesemesters,or takingmoreclassesafterthetransitionbecauseofthewaythatclasseswill beofferedposttransition.Theseincurcoststostudents,suchaslesstimeto workandlessopportunitiestodowellintheclass.Notably,transitionsoften arefollowedwithasignificantdropinstudentenrollment.A2000study suggeststhatOhioUniversityscredithourproductioncoulddeclinebyas muchas20percentovertwoyearsasstudentstrytoavoidbeingcaughtin theconversionifcredithourproductiondropsbylevelsdescribedinthe 2000report,theuniversitywouldlosebetween$12.8and$20million.xvi Moreover,tuitionisnaturallymoreaffordablepertermonquarters.Theper termtuitionfeeundersemestersis1/3moreexpensive.Theinconvenience ofaffordinghighertuitionatanyonepointintimeneedstobetakeninto account. Somesuggestthatsemestersmakeiteasierforstudentstoapplyfor internships,studyabroadandobtainemploymentongraduation(thisisdue

totheearlierdatethatsemestersends.)Iftheseareindeedadvantages,they shouldbeincludedintheROIcalculations,howeveritisnotknowhow significanttheseadvantagesare.However,onepossiblesolutiontothis problemwithoutswitchingtosemestersincludesofferinghalfterm(5week) classesinspringquarter(theseclassesareavailableinsummerquarter.) Additionally,withmoreandmoreclassesbeingofferedonline,the importanceoftheacademiccalendarislessened,becausestudentsneednot bestuckattheeducationalinstitutionforthedurationoftheclass.Itwould bebitterlyironicifthiscomplexandexpensivestatewidetransitionto semestersiscompletedjustasfixedacademiccalendarsbecomeirrelevant. Theaboveissuesbegthebasicquestionwhatexactlyisthevalueofthe transitionforstudentsandtaxpayers?WhatistheROIforthetransition? Whylaunchthistransitionnow,duringoneoftheworstfiscalsituationsin thisstateshistory?Howmuchmoneyhasbeenspentonthetransitionsofar andhowmuchwouldbesavedbytablingthetransitioniftheperformance auditdoesindeedconcludethatitwerefiscallyimprudentandunjustifiable? (Quitealotofthecostscomefromcounseling/advisingaswellasthe inconvenienceonstudentsthemselves.Theseissueswillnotbegin manifestinguntillateacademicyear2011.Moreoveritisnaturallyexpected thatmuchofthegruntworkforthetransitionwilloccurtheyearpriortoit.)

StateAuditorYost,Ibelievethatthisdocumentpresentssomeofthecasefora performanceauditofthestatewidequarterstosemesterstransition.xviiArguably thereisnostatelevelagency/projectwhichismorecomplex,expensiveand mysteriousasthisqualitieswhichmakeitperfectforaperformanceaudit. Sincerely, JamesMoyer


iAcommoncalendarandcredithoursystemwillencouragestudentmovement

amongstateassistedschools....Acommoncalendarwillfacilitatetransferand evaluationofcredits.UniversitytoSwitchtoQuarters:NewSystemtobeinitiated inFall,TheOhioUniversityPost,September22,1966. iiMinutesoftheOhioBoardofRegents,December20,1974,page15. iiiWashingtonStateAcademicCalendar:SemestersversusQuarters,Washington StateHigherEducationControllingBoard,December2000. ivMinutesoftheOhioBoardofRegents,November16,1990. vEmailbetweenJayJohnson(AssistantProvost,OfficeofAcademicAffairs,TheOhio StateUniversity)andJamesMoyer,ResponseconcerningsemestersatOhioState University,May28,2010. viIbid.


viiNarrowvotekeepsOhioonquarters,TheOhioUniversityPost,July26,2007.

ThisarticleaddsStudiesin1992and1996foundnocompellingreasontoswitchto thesemestersystem. viiiGeeplanstodiscusschangetosemesterswithincomingprovost,TheOhioState Lantern,April27,1993. ixSchoolsinOhioonsemesters,suchastheUniversityofAkron,areunabletooffera fullsemesterduringsummerterm.Instead,thesummertermcalendarisan abbreviationofthesemester,havingmoreincommonwiththequarterthanthe semester. xAcceptquartersystem,Aldensays,TheOhioUniversityPost,September29,1966. xiSeenoteI. xiiEqualizedQuarterPlan:SystemConsideredBest,TheOhioStateUniversity Lantern,March28,1966. xiiiIhavepersonallyarrivedatthisnumberbyaveragingthecostperuniversityat $10million,andthecostpercollegeat$5million. xivSeenoteviii. xvSwitchtosemesterstilldebatedTheOhioStateUniversityLantern,Jan21,1992. xviOhioU.semesterswitch:Possiblestudentenrollmentdecreasecouldbecostly, TheOhioUniversityPost,January15,2009. xviiAllofthesecitationsareavailableuponrequest.

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