Academic Calendars and Academic Costs

In a recent Commentary in Improving College and University Teaching, William Rabinowitz de scribed processes that led to change in the academic calendar at Penn State and concluded that the impor tance of the calendar structure is grossly exaggerated (17). Rabinowitz was reflecting on the research evidence on effects of different calendars on student learning and a recognition of the ability of faculty and students to adapt to whatever structure is used. Whether the structure itself affects learning outcomes appears not yet to have been established. Although evidence may be cited to support pedagogical advan tages for a particular length of term, Rabinowitz asserts that no trustworthy studies of calendar effects exist. Well-designed studies have not yet been conducted that effectively compare the effects of one calendar or another on student learning. Of course, other considerations may be affected by calendar choice. In the study reported in this paper, the effect of the calendar on faculty development, ad ministrative costs, and student performance and reten tion was evaluated, based on the perceptions of academic deans from selected liberal arts colleges. The assumption in the study, based on the literature survey, was that structure of academic time as determined by a calendar choice will affect each of these. The purpose of the study was to see whether academic deans perceived that calendar did influence these factors.