Report to Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee on Year-Round Teaching.

This document is an English-language abstract (approximately 1,500 words) of a working paper that considers both the academic and financial implications of introducing year-round instruction in Australian universities. Year-round teaching may improve the quality of education, accelerate the rate of education for the existing enrollment, allow greater enrollment, and provide special courses for non-students. The present system is discussed as to its inadequacies: it begins on 9 March and consists of three terms of 10, 9, and 7 weeks respectively, with three weeks' vacation between each term. American universities are studied for purposes of comparison and guidance. A major question to be resolved is whether the summer session under any system is to be compulsory or voluntary, and consequently, whether there is to be an increase in student enrollments. Savings in time and funds are considered. There appears to be no conclusive arguments in favor of either the quarter system or the trimester system. However, it is possible that with small adjustments to equalize the lengths of present terms, the quarter system may be more readily accepted by Australian universities. An important consideration is that the distribution of staff time between research and teaching should not be changed and vacations should be staggered so that continuity of teaching is preserved while each staff member has one quarter or one term free each year. (Author/GDB)