Govt 'to let universities use quarter system soon'

The education ministry will soon allow Japanese universities, most of which use a semester system, to introduce a quarter system as well to help students study subjects more intensively, sources said.
In most Japanese universities, classes are held once a week for 15 weeks in one semester, but the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is planning to relax its university establishment standards so universities may also use a quarter system, in which classes are held twice a week for eight weeks in one term.
Students commonly take about 10 courses a week in each semester. But some observers point out that they take too many courses in the same term to fully assimilate their contents.
In the United States, university students usually take about five courses each term, and each class meets more than once a week.
For instance, Kaori Tsuji, 20, a Waseda University student now studying at Columbia University in New York, said she is taking four courses a week at present. However, she said that she needs to do research to prepare for every class. Read more...