Semester Conversion Update: New Web Offerings and an Industry Symposium

The University of Cincinnati is more than two years away from the first day of classes under a semester calendar:

Aug. 27, 2012

.

Semester conversion

will affect every aspect of university life, from the academic calendar, to policies and procedures, facilities, curriculum and cooperative education, just to name a few.

However, the university faculty, staff and students began planning for the change as far back as 2007, and that includes planning related to the university’s top-ranked

cooperative education program

.

AN INDUSTRY SYMPOSIUM ON FEB. 10

Co-op, which had its world-wide founding at the University of Cincinnati more than 100 years ago, is the practice in which students alternate academic periods spent in the classroom with periods of professionally paid work experiences related directly to their majors.

Co-op will continue throughout the conversion period and beyond.

Most of the nation’s co-op programs operate on the semester system. Some – like the University of Pittsburgh, which began its program in 1910 – have always functioned on semesters. Others, like Northeastern University, converted from quarters to semesters.

UC co-op has functioned under a variety of calendars in its history. The conversion to semesters will benefit employers (who tend to prefer a semester cycle) because it permits employers to give students projects of greater longevity.

The university’s Professional Practice Division is holding a

Feb. 10, 2010

, co-op Industry Symposium, during which semester conversion will be interwoven throughout the day’s panel and roundtable discussions.

The event runs 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes roundtable discussions among employers. It will be held in the Great Hall, Tangeman University Center. Any UC co-op employer or faculty member may participate but must register. Registration and additional information is available

online

.

NEW OFFERINGS ON UC'S SEMESTER CONVERSION WEB SITE

UC launched a redesigned Semester Conversion Web site on Nov. 4, 2009, to serve as a “one stop” for information related to semester conversion. The site is continually updated and recent additions include

• A video FAQ related to UC co-op.
  

• A glossary of terms related to semester conversion.

• A semester conversion PowerPoint template for use by faculty and staff.

More information on UC Semester Conversion

Planning for UC semester conversion is taking place in

three phases

.

• Curricular revisions. The bulk of this work will be complete by fall 2010.
• Encoding and cataloging. This phase will be complete by September 2011.
• Student advising. This phase will take place from September 2011 to August 2012.
  

• Visit UC’s semester conversion Web site.