Question: UCLA, University of Washington, Oregon State University... All of these universities operate on the quarter system, in which the academic year is broken into four terms (including summer) of about 10 weeks each. Most students at these schools attend three quarters a year: Fall, Winter, and Spring. Other universities (in fact, the majority in the United States) operate on the semester system, where the year is broken into three terms (Fall, Spring, and Summer) of about 15 weeks each. Most students attend only the Fall and Spring semesters. One unit of credit in the quarter systems is worth two-thirds a unit of credit in the semester system. Students and faculty have different opinions on the relative merits of the two systems. The following table summarizes most of these arguments.

Few of the arguments that you'll find on the Web focus on costs. In a time of burgeoning educational expense, this omission seems odd. Perhaps costs are too pragmatic for proper consideration within ivy-covered walls? We in the College of Business, however, need not be so constrained. Consider the following business processes, all of which are necessary for every new term (quarter or semester):

• Schedule classes

• Allocate classrooms and related equipment

• Staff classes

• Enroll students

• Prepare and print course syllabi

• Adjust enrollments via add/drop

• Schedule finals

• Allocate final exam rooms

• Grade finals

• Record final grades

Each of these processes has associated costs, and many of those costs are substantial. Given that a semester system pays these costs one fewer time per year than a quarter system, it would seem cost prudent for all universities to adopt the semester system. In fact, The Ohio State University recently switched from quarters to semesters; undoubtedly, other universities on the quarter system are considering such conversions as well. You have been asked by the president of a quarter-system university to prepare a position report on the possibility of a switch to semesters. In preparation, answer the following questions:

1. Use Google or Bing (or another Internet search engine) to search for the phrase "quarter versus semester." Read several of the opinions, then adjust and augment the table of pros and cons.

2. List business processes involved in starting a new term. Examples are processes to develop the roster of classes, to staff classes, and to enroll students. Name as many more of the processes required as you can. Examine the list of processes already presented and add processes that you think may have been omitted, if any.

3. List the sources of costs for each of the two processes you chose in your answer to step 2.

4. Considering just the College of Business at your university, estimate each of the costs for the processes in step

5. Make and justify assumptions about labor rates and other factors.

6. Assuming that costs for other colleges are the same as for the College of Business (an unrealistic assumption; law and medicine probably have higher costs), what is the total cost for the two processes you selected for your university, in total?

7. List and describe five factors that you think could be keeping a university that is on a quarter system from converting to a semester system.

8. Suppose you actually did this at your university. Explain how you could use this experience to demonstrate your capabilities in a job interview.