By Marissa Patton
Reporter
Changing often brings growth, especially with a team effort. CSU Bakersfield has recently transitioned from quarter to semester. While it has caused many changes, faculty continue to adjust to the new switch as the semester progresses.
John Dirkse, who has been an administrator at CSUB for 10 years, knew of and prepared for all of the changes that were made to the campus.
“Students and faculty are spending 50 minutes less in class per semester,” he said. “Over the year, you’ll end up with the same number of minutes that they [professors] taught, roughly than when they had quarters, it’s just now it’s spread over two pieces instead of three. Also the amount of material in a quarter course, a little had to be removed to make room for a semester course.”
Communications student Cecilia Torres, 20, has noted the significant time difference and resounding consequences from her past two years at CSUB.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of professors run out of time. Sometimes you’re just getting into a discussion, and it’s already time to leave,” Torres said. “It still feels more manageable than quarter system because the workload is extended over a longer period of time.”
Professors have had to adjust to teaching an extra class with 35 more students. Professor Donna Simmons has taught communications at CSUB for the past 20 years and has experienced some big changes with the quarter to semester transition.
“It is much more time consuming than you think,” Simmons said. “You now teach four classes instead of three; when teaching four classes you have forty students and four preps. The time spent teaching, grading and prepping hasn’t gone down. Going from three to four classes is a big deal.”
Changed calendar dates prove to be another consequence of the semester transition, though not unintended. CSUB used to give students six days to decide whether to add a class or not. Now the last day to add extends to the second week of class, something faculty have to adjust to.
“Students come into their class for the first time and a week and a half of school had been gone,” Dirkse said. “The instructors are shocked at the students and are thinking ‘you think you can come in a week after I have started and haven’t missed anything? You think you can catch up and that you’ll still pass?’
