Can getting from a class at the west end of campus immediately to a class at the east end leave you huffing and puffing?
Starting in fall 2012, Washington University classes on the Danforth Campus will begin 10 minutes after their published start time, announced Provost Edward S. Macias, PhD. The only exception will be School of Law classes.
This change extends the time between classes from seven minutes to 10 minutes.
“I’ve heard from students that it can be a challenge to arrive at class on time when they have to go from one building to another building across campus,” says Macias, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences.
“An extra three minutes between class times should make it easier on the students as well as lead to less disruption of classes with late arrivals.”
Faculty members are encouraged to end their classes on time to ensure enough travel time between classes, Macias adds.
Because of accreditation standards set by the American Bar Association, the School of Law will not follow this new policy, but rather remain on its previous class time schedule of starting eight minutes after the published time.
“The law school strongly wished to join all other schools in having 10 minutes between classes, but could not do so because it would violate American Bar Association accreditation standards, which require for a degree ‘no fewer than 58,000 minutes of instruction time,’ ” says Kent D. Syverud, JD, dean of the School of Law and the Ethan A.H. Shepley University Professor.
Regina Frey, PhD, director of The Teaching Center and Professor of the Practice in chemistry in Arts & Sciences, will chair a committee to help implement the new policy.
Frey chairs the Classroom Monitoring Committee, which oversees the planning and management of university-managed classrooms.
Any comments or questions about the new policy can be sent to Frey at gfrey@wustl.edu or by calling her at (314) 935- 7474.