Unit system

College courses are given a value, which are called “credits” or “units.” The number of units assigned to a course corresponds to the number of hours that a student will attend class for that course. For example, a course that consists of three class sessions per week will be assigned a value of three units. Typically, colleges require that students complete a minimum number of units in order to graduate, rather than a minimum number of courses. This gives students more flexibility in what courses they decide to take to complete their graduation requirements.

Most colleges and universities follow either a quarter-based calendar system or a semester–based calendar system. In a quarter system, the academic year is divided into three sessions called quarters. Each quarter lasts about 12 weeks. There is usually an additional quarter in the summer, where registration is optional. In a semester system, the academic year is divided into two sessions called semesters. Each semester lasts 16 weeks.

Students who have registered for at least 12 units in a session are said to be “full-time” students. Students who have registered for fewer than 12 units in a session are called “part-time” students.

1. What is a unit system?

2. What students may be called “full–time students”?

3. What students may be called “part–time students”?

Problem solving

Introduction

The American system of Higher education has some peculiarities. It is considered a democratic one. But the democracy introduced into the universities as well as in secondary schools seems to cause some troubles for the teaching staff. Very often it results in the low level of education. Among the reasons that strongly influence on the level of higher education the American professors call:

– the absence of core curriculum. Students may choose both the course they would like to study and the lecturer. The lecturer is free to choose the textbook to deliver lectures on, he is free to choose the themes to be learnt, he may omit some themes, which he considers unimportant.

– the absence of oral examinations. All the examinations in American universities are done in a written form. A professor can not call a student to the blackboard and discuss the results of his work in class in front of the classmates.

– the absence of set groups as any student has an individual program of study.

Task

How do you think why the reasons mentioned above worry the American professors?

Express your opinion using the following phrases: I think, to my mind, first of all, on the other hand, I firmly believe that, there are plenty of proofs to the fact that.

Give arguments to the following:

1. Is it good or bad to have no core curriculum?

2. Can all the skills and knowledge got by the student be evaluated by written tests?

3. Is it good when a lecturer chooses the textbook for studying and creates the course of study according to his likes and dislikes?

4. What are the disadvantages and advantages of studying in groups and individually?