UNSW considering new academic calendar (2 Viewers)

[Red_of_Head]

Got linked to a survey in an email from UNSW. The proposed calendars are below.

http://imgur.com/0edY7km

What do you think?

 

[Flop21]

Option 3 looks crazy interesting to me. 3 terms a year would dramatically decrease degree completion times. But then they said the full time load requirement would increase, and I think that means they would also increase the amount of credits needed for degree completion.

If they didn't change either of those things, I'd really like option 3.

Could mess with internships though.

 

[4025808]

Option 3 means I can actually go overseas and do internships over the summer. Then it means I can just not have a semester 2 and just go for semester 3.

 

[leehuan]

I'm really questioning the presence of a trimester scheme.

The interesting part is the 3 courses a trimester. I feel that would speed things up (as in pace, not degree completion) unnecessarily because you still only have 10 weeks, but the counter-cutback of only doing 3 courses... I'm not sure how it will cancel out.

Otherwise, both option 2 and 3 make me cringe because I don't want my winter break less than 3 weeks. That and I'm not sure how a 5 week summer term will work...looks so short.

Option 2's summer term is only good if an increase in the amount of courses get offered in summer happens.

 

[Renaaa]

UTS has the trimester scheme already in place and it does shorten degree times

 

[Queenroot]

Trimester thing is great tbh, I would really like it.

3 subjects per sem is great.

 

[D94]

Option 3 is not possible. Count how many weeks are being allocated. This would only be possible if those 2 week breaks were absorbed into the term, meaning they are actually 12 week terms + exams, but if it is intended to be 10 teaching weeks, then there would be no mid-term break, most likely no stuvac or 3 days of stuvac, and a 1.5 to 2 week exam period. All the exams would be crammed. Alternatively, it could be a 10 week teaching term, 1 week stuvac, 1.5 week exam period and 1.5 week break = 14 weeks, but no mid-term break.

 

[Queenroot]

I think it's 12 week terms

 

[Squar3root]

imo an idea


Have like short intensive courses that run for like 5 weeks similar to the summer session where a whole subject is crammmed into that time, 1 exam then repeat 8 times for full time load ez

 

[mreditor16]

imo an idea


Have like short intensive courses that run for like 5 weeks similar to the summer session where a whole subject is crammmed into that time, 1 exam then repeat 8 times for full time load ez

nahhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[Squar3root]

nahhhhhhhhhhhh

o rite m8

 

[D94]

I think it's 12 week terms

If that is the case, then we would definitely have no mid-term break. It would be 10 straight teaching weeks + 2 weeks for exams.

 

[leehuan]

If that is the case, then we would definitely have no mid-term break. It would be 10 straight teaching weeks + 2 weeks for exams.

Disgusting..

 

[D94]

Disgusting..

So now do people still want option 3 (trimester)?

 

[Red_of_Head]

If that is the case, then we would definitely have no mid-term break. It would be 10 straight teaching weeks + 2 weeks for exams.

I'm happy with the current calendar, but 10 week terms aren't too different from school are they?

 

[leehuan]

I'm happy with the current calendar, but 10 week terms aren't too different from school are they?

That's another thing which repels me from it

 

[brent012]

UTS has the trimester scheme already in place and it does shorten degree times

I believe Deakin Uni were one of the first to swap to this model, and they have shorter degree times - but UTS aren't quite there yet as the full range of subjects aren't offered over summer yet.

One of the unsolved (as far as I know) issues with the trimester model at UTS was fitting in mandatory placements such as teaching (they still run old model afaik) and cramming in courses which follow an external curriculum like Cisco subjects.