{"395671":{"#nid":"395671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Task Force Suggests Changes to Academic Calendar","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech students could soon have more time to prepare for finals and an extra day off at Thanksgiving, thanks to proposed changes to the academic calendar.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EA task force drafted a proposal in early January with five key recommendations for modifying Georgia Tech\u2019s academic calendar. The group of students, faculty, and staff focused on changes that were based on recommendations made by previous committees and white papers; were in compliance with University System of Georgia (USG) policies; and did not significantly change the existing spring-summer-fall structure.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EPer the proposal, starting in fall 2015, classes would not meet on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, giving students an additional day for their break. A change implemented as a pilot this spring will continue to stand, which eliminated finals being held during the last exam session on the Friday before Commencement to prevent finals overlapping with graduation festivities. Starting the next academic year, it was approved to extend the individual course withdrawal deadline by two weeks, allowing students more time to evaluate whether to drop a class.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn Spring 2016, the current Dead Week would be replaced with Final Instructional Class Days and Reading Periods. The new schedule would designate Monday and Tuesday of the penultimate week of the semester as Final Instructional Class Days, followed by a day and a half of reading period, and administering the first final on Thursday afternoon. Finals would be broken up by that weekend and resume Monday, with an additional reading period the next Tuesday morning. Finals would finish that Thursday, allowing Friday for conflict periods and a day between exams and Commencement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cAdding reading periods before and during final exams week so students have more time to prepare is one of the most important changes we can make to our calendar,\u201d said Steven Girardot, associate vice provost for undergraduate education who co-chaired the Academic Calendar Task Force with Paul Kohn, vice provost for Enrollment Services.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EWhen benchmarking against peers and other USG institutions, Georgia Tech was one of few universities that did not already have a reading period of this kind.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn many cases, Tech students were found to spend more time in class than at peer and USG institutions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThe fact is that Georgia Tech students spend a lot of time in school,\u201d said Laura Margaret Burbach, vice president of Academic Affairs for the Student Government Association (SGA). Burbach participated in the academic calendar task force and helped draft a white paper last year from SGA on the topic.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EFor Burbach, getting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is an immediate relief, but the changes to dead week and final exams will be the biggest change for campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cI hope it does a lot for alleviating student stress by incorporating additional study time, giving a true end to the semester, and letting students celebrate graduation,\u201d she said.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBeyond Next Year\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe complete task force recommendations that would be phased into the calendar during the next two years include:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EReplace Dead Week with Final Instructional Class Days and Reading Periods and wrap final exams around a weekend. (Beginning spring 2016)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEliminate final exams on the Friday before Commencement. (Implemented as a pilot in spring 2015)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAdd additional class holidays around Thanksgiving and July 4. (Beginning fall 2015)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBegin the spring semester no earlier than the second Monday of January. (Beginning Spring 2016)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EModify class length and breaks (contingent on final approval). (Beginning fall 2017)\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ul\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe final recommendation would extend the length of Monday\/Wednesday\/Friday classes during spring and fall semesters from 50 to 55 minutes. Breaks between classes would extend from to 10 to 15 minutes. These extensions would ultimately mean the required number of instructional hours, per USG policy, is met in fewer days, giving additional flexibility for holidays or breaks during the semester. This recommendation has been approved in principle but will get additional study and potentially final approval at a later date. If approved, the change would go into effect in fall 2017.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cRight now you get significantly less class time in a Monday\/Wednesday\/Friday class than in a Tuesday\/Thursday, so in more challenging courses, you get a lot more time with the material in a Tuesday\/ Thursday section,\u201d said Burbach. \u201cThis would make them more comparable. The longer time in between classes would make it easier for students to get to class across campus.\u201d\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Process\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThe calendar changes have been approved by the Student Regulations Committee and will go before the full Faculty Senate for approval at its meeting on April 21.\u0026nbsp;The Office of Undergraduate Education will hold an \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.calendar.gatech.edu\/event\/394481\u0022\u003Einformational session\u003C\/a\u003E on Friday, April 17, from 9 to 10 a.m. in the Student Center Theater to review the proposed changes and answer questions from the campus community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStudents have voiced concerns to Tech administrators about aspects of the academic calendar in recent years. The 2013 SGA white paper proposed three changes, two of which were the delayed withdrawal date and wrapping finals around a weekend. Both of those changes will be implemented by spring 2016.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cWith everything we\u2019ve done the priority has been what\u2019s in the best interest of our students and reducing stress,\u201d said Girardot. \u201cFaculty will also benefit by having more time to grade and to prepare for their own holidays.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Modifications Would Be Phased in Over Two Years"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech students could soon have more time to prepare for finals and an extra day off at Thanksgiving, thanks to proposed changes to the academic calendar.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech students could soon have more time to prepare for finals and an extra day off at Thanksgiving, thanks to proposed changes to the academic calendar."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2015-04-13 11:52:43","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:17:58","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-04-13T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-04-13T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.calendar.gatech.edu\/event\/394481","title":"Academic Calendar Info Session"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"61451","name":"Academic Calendar"},{"id":"166922","name":"sga"},{"id":"166923","name":"student government association"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}