Why transition now?
It’s important to realize that use of a quarter or a semester calendar system results from the demands of a particular period in time and the trends active within any particular period. For instance, UC first made the decision to go to semesters in 1892. At that time, switching to semesters was seen as a way to "reduce the number of examinations by one third, thus saving a week for instruction... ."
Later, many colleges and universities – including UC – converted to the quarter system in the early 1960s because the college-age population in the United States increased by more than 65 percent between 1960 and 1975.
The quarter calendar system was viewed not as superior in terms of teaching and learning but as a means to accommodate a greater number of students with a shorter calendar span of classes combined with an extended school day and larger class sizes. UC made the shift from semesters to quarters in the 1963-64 school year at the request of the Ohio Board of Regents. The quarter system made sense when it was necessary to fit larger numbers of class offerings into a calendar year, and flexibility was key in moving a very large number of students through higher education systems. It was also thought that that the more frequent (but shorter) breaks common to the quarter system would reduce intellectual fatigue.
However, the current climate has altered significantly from that of the 1960s and 70s. Cooperation between different segments of the higher education system in Ohio will increase during the coming years, as outlined in the University System of Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Higher Education. In accordance with that plan, Ohio’s public universities still following the quarter system will convert to semesters.