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Students may no longer have light class schedules on Wednesdays to look forward to, if a proposal to make major changes to Pepperdine’s weekly class schedule is implemented.
The Seaver Dean’s Office and the Seaver Faculty Association (SFA) have been exploring a possible schedule shift for Seaver College, which would place class meetings for each course either on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, or on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
The change is still in the planning stages but, if implemented, would affect the schedule and extracurricular activities of every student on campus.
For students, the new schedule could mean more classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, and a change in Convocation schedule, according to Dr. Randall Maddox, SFA Executive Committee member and professor of mathematics. Maddox has been appointed by the university to gather information on what a scheduling overhaul would mean to the university.
Maddox said the new schedule would only be used if it was determined to be better for the university’s efficiency than the current system.
The shift is also expected to result in a more even distribution of classes throughout the week for most students, Maddox said.
Dr. Rick Marrs, Associate Dean of Seaver College, said the idea to change classes to the 3/2-track, which is more traditional at the college level, has been present within the administration for many years. More recently, Seaver College has undergone a process of evaluation that suggests the change may be good for the university.
“We’ve just undergone an exhaustive analysis with an independent group on how we use our space,” Marrs said.
Maddox said the primary reason to change to a new schedule would be to eliminate overlapping class periods and provide more options for students every day of the week, to allow them to balance their class time more efficiently.
Marrs said that while rumors had been started that the new class times might be used as soon as next fall, it would likely take a full year to work on details of the switch and gain the approval of staff, faculty and students.
Dr. Don Shores, a professor of broadcasting, said he is concerned about the implications of the change for the way classes are taught on campus.
“Effective scheduling seems to be the focus, not effective education,” Shores said.
According to Shores, four unit classes might have to become three unit classes because of changes in time allotted for each class. If the unit value of classes changed, students who have begun to satisfy their major requirements at the university would be forced to take extra elective classes to meet their unit requirement for graduation.
Under the new schedule, classes would be scheduled in 65-minute blocks. While there would be some exceptions, many classes that meet one day each week under the current schedule would be broken into smaller blocks, while classes that meet daily under the current system would be lumped into longer time segments.
In addition, time between classes would be extended to 15 minutes, Maddox said, in order to allow students time to traverse the campus if necessary.
Classes would no longer start each hour, on the hour.
“I wonder if we would need bells, like in high school, so we know when class starts,” Shores said.
Convocation, co-curricular activities in the Fine Arts and Communications Divisions and faculty meetings, which all take place on Wednesdays, may suffer because of the possible change.
“I’m not sure the issue has really entered the discussion,” Shores said of extracurricular activities. “It will definitely have an effect on how we operate our programs.”
Freshman Nicki Bourgo, who works in the Fine Arts Division, said she does not understand why the university would change to a 3/2-track schedule.
“I’m working ‘Dance In Flight’ next week, and if I had classes every single day, I would never get my work done,” Bourgo said.
Professors may also see major shifts in when meetings with students and other faculty can take place, Shores said.
As planning and research on the issue advances, opinion from faculty and students will be considered.
“We’re trying to get input on not only student activities, but faculty activities,” Marrs said. “Each division will be giving input.”
Marrs also said student input would likely be obtained through consulting with SGA.
Because the scheduling change is in early stages of planning, it is not clear when, if ever, the 3/2-track might be applied to the university.
“There needs to be lots of discussion. This isn’t something that needs to be quickly decided upon,” Shores said.
Submitted 02-02-2006
MALIBU, CA
