Dal explores changes to its academic dates

Is it time for a fall reading week?

That was one of several questions considered at the first open house consultation sessions on Wednesday hosted by a Senate task force exploring changes to Dal’s academic dates for the 2014/15 and beyond.

The idea for a fall reading week has been around for some time, with the Dalhousie Student Union supporting the idea. Many schools in Canada in the US have implemented a fall break, and it’s one of several topics Senate’s task force is investigating related to the academic schedule.

The task force has already completed a targeted survey and focus groups, but the consultations are an opportunity for a broader range of students, faculty and staff to contribute.

Attendees at Wednesday’s first consultation shared their thoughts not just on a fall reading week, but a number of other scheduling issues. For example: How would a fall reading week affect the scheduling of the winter reading week? What should be the first day of the academic year? Should students return to school a week later in January? Should Dal switch to a contact hours system instead of a teaching days system for measuring the academic year? If so, should the year include 36 contact hours — 12 instances of a class — or 39 contact hours (13 instances of a class)? Should the exam period be compressed to make room for some of these changes?

There’s good reason why now is an ideal time to consider these questions: next year’s Labour Day falls on September 7, meaning if Dal sticks to its current system of starting classes the Thursday after the holiday, September 11 would be the first official day of the fall term. That results in a particularly tight schedule, meaning 2014/15 offers an opportunity to figure a new system that might work next year and into the future.

If you’d like to contribute your feedback on these ideas, another consultation session is scheduled for next Thursday, October 23 at 10:30 a.m. in the Macdonald Building’s University Hall. Those with questions about the consultations can contact Bob Mann at bob.mann@dal.ca or Mairead Barry at mairead.barry@dal.ca. The team will also be hosting sessions with several other campus groups such as the Associate Deans' Council, Deans' Council and others.