The Trimester Task Force received the first two reports of the
Trimester Evaluation Committee, one in September and the other in
November. The first report confirmed student uneasiness with the faster
pace of the trimester, problems about having to study harder and having
less time to attend to socials, family affairs, personal recreation and
problems arising out of enrolment procedures. O n the other hand, 78 per
cent of the faculty members favoured the trimestral system, saying that
their workloads were practically the same and that whatever problems
were met during the first trimester could be resolved or avoided during
the succeeding trimesters. They also felt that the quality of instruction
was dependent on the teaching methodologies used by the professor.
The second report was more exhaustive. Data and subjects covered
the semestral school years 1979-90 and 80-81 and the first and second
trimesters of trimestral school year 1981-82. Specifically, these data
included: (1) all withdrawals and failures in academic subjects incurred
during the first and second semesters of school year 1980-81 and the first
and second trimesters of school year 1981-82; (2) all students wh o
qualified in the Dean's Honours List during the first and second
semesters of school year 1981-82; (3) faculty evaluation ratings by
students covering the two terms of school year 1981-82 and those of
school years 1979-90 and 80-81; (4) perceived hours per week spent by
students for study, leisure, extra-curricular activities under the semestral
and trimestral school years by college, year-level and type of subjects
(i.e., whether qualitative or quantitative subjects). Questionnaires were
constructed and administered to representative groups of respondents
composed of faculty, students and parents.
The summarized results of this study, in direct response to the
questions as earlier posed by the Trimester Evaluation Committee at the
beginning of the first trimester of school year 1981-82 were:
(i) The percentages of withdrawals and failures in the various
colleges of the University (Colleges of Arts and Sciences,
Commerc e and Engineering) tended to suggest that there were
no directional patterns in withdrawals and failures and that
these did not seem to be dependent on the system followed, i.e.,
whether trimestral or semestral.
31
Changing grom a semester to a trimester system at
the De La Salle University, Philippines
(ii) The range of grades given under the semestral system did not
differ from those given under the trimestral system. The
significant differences that came about did not follow a
consistent trend and could not, therefore, support the idea that
the change in the system brought about a change in the grade
patterns.
(iii) In general, the percentages of students included in the Dean's
Honours List were the same under both systems, although there
was even a significant increase in the percentage of honours
students in the College of Commerc e under the trimester
system.
(iv) There was no significant change in the average ratings of
faculty members mad e by students under the semestral and
trimestral systems in all colleges, except for the College of Arts
and Sciences, where non-science faculty members obtained a
significant increase in the overall mean under the trimester
system.
(v) In general, the students perceived that they spent less time for
both leisure and with their families and more time for studies
under the trimester system. In general also, the students did
not seem to find any difference in the number of hours they
devoted to extra-curricular activities under both systems. Data
seemed to indicate that although the students tended to
perceive that they had less time for leisure, extra-curricular
activities and family under the trimester system, the time lost
could not be accounted for entirely. The time which they
perceived as reduced had not been completely devoted to
studies. Hence, the time 'lost' under the trimester ma y have
been just a perception and not necessarily a reality.
(vi) In general, the students and the parents preferred the semestral
system over the trimestral system, while the faculty members
preferred the trimestral system.
The Trimester Evaluation Committee then recommended the
following:
(a) The trimestral system be adopted but continuous evaluation be
undertaken to improve the system;