(June 27, 2018) - UTSA students taking classes at the Downtown Campus this fall will have more options to optimize their course schedules and reduce the need to travel between the Downtown Campus and Main Campus to fulfill degree requirements. The curriculum enhancements are part of the Presidential Initiative on the Downtown Campus to provide a comprehensive living and learning experience to students in the College of Architecture, Construction and Planning, College of Public Policy and College of Education and Human Development.
“We are looking at all the logistics that impact the student life cycle,” said Can Saygin, interim senior vice provost for institutional effectiveness and strategic initiatives and chair of the curriculum sub-group of the Downtown Campus Task Force. “We want all our students downtown to be able to eat, sleep, study, relax and take courses on their home campus.”
As part of the curriculum changes, incoming first-year students pursuing degrees in either the College of Public Policy or College of Architecture, Construction and Planning now can enroll in a full-time schedule at the Downtown Campus. One option is registering for a block schedule according to their chosen academic pathway. The block courses are offered on a two-day schedule—Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday—so that students might take a full courseload and have Friday off to study, work or spend time with family. The two-day course schedules optimize students’ time on campus and reduce the need to commute between campuses to attend classes on the same day.
“We’re very excited about the opportunities these changes create for the Class of 2022 students who will be taking classes downtown,” said Diane Elizondo, associate director of the First-Year Experience Program. “Each year, the university will build on course offerings with the goal that this year’s incoming students in the College of Public Policy and College of Architecture, Construction and Planning will be able to complete their degree entirely downtown — and being on one campus means they can better connect with the many rich resources in downtown San Antonio.”
In addition to the academic pathway block schedules, which are open only to incoming first-year students, the colleges have worked to increase the number of Downtown Campus courses that are offered on a two-day schedule and are open to all continuing students.
Joe DeCristoforo, university registrar and interim associate vice president for enrollment services, says the changes are a positive move to optimize the university’s classroom utilization.
“Traditionally, the classrooms at the Downtown Campus have been full at night but underutilized during the day,” said DeCristoforo. “The block schedules for incoming students and two-day course schedules will bring more students into those classrooms during the day, and likely will relieve some of the demands on classroom scheduling at the Main Campus.”
The curriculum sub-group now is looking at course offerings at the Downtown Campus for the spring 2019 semester.
“We will continue to work to identify the courses that need to be offered downtown, including those that are shared between programs, so as to maximize time and resources for this campus and our unique student population,” said David Matiella, associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Architecture, Construction and Planning.
The UTSA Downtown Campus, which serves as an intellectual gateway to San Antonio’s near westside and downtown, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the College of Architecture, Construction and Planning, College of Public Policy, and College of Education and Human Development. Currently, more than one-third of UTSA’s graduate students take classes at the Downtown Campus.
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Huddle Against Hunger is a fundraising competition with Texas State that benefits our Roadrunner Pantry. Donations this week will help UTSA earn additional prize monies provided by RBFCU.
In-Person and VirtualJoin UTSA Libraries for an update on federal public access policies and how the library can assist with compliance.
Virtual EventWe invite you to join us for Birds Up! Downtown, an exciting welcome back event designed to connect students with the different departments at the Downtown Campus. Students will have the opportunity to learn about some of the departments on campus, gain access to different resources, and collect some giveaways!
Bill Miller PlazaThere are many citation managers. Which one is right for you? This workshop will explain what a citation manager is and how it can help you organize your citations, insert citations as you write your paper, and generate your bibliography.
Virtual EventPubMed is an essential database for anyone conducting biomedical or health-related research. This workshop will teach attendees how to effectively navigate this free resource and locate peer-reviewed articles using advanced search features, MeSH subject headings, and Boolean operators.
Virtual EventIn this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography. Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to have EndNote already installed on a personal computer.
Virtual EventJoin UTSA Libraries and Museums to learn more about the publishing discounts available for UTSA researchers. Current agreements include Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, Wiley, and more. Bring your questions and feedback for the library as we continue to pursue partnerships with publishers to reduce costs for our researchers.
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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