This study represents the first phase of a projected five-year institutional research project at Iowa State University. It was designed to assess the change in stated faculty perceptions of the learning environment under quarter and semester calendars along with changes in perception of calendar transition and general academic environment between spring 1981 and spring 1982. ISU shifted from a quarter to semester program in fall 1981;Faculty involvement in decisions on shifts in the calendar was emphasized in a summary of calendar changes since the late 1800s and a chronology of events taking place just prior to the change and during the implementation of the new calendar. Research observations were compared to the literature on academic change;Data from questionnaires sent to faculty in April 1981 and again in April 1982 were analyzed using t tests to assess differences between years on 15 factor variables. Significant differences between years in most cases showed a shift toward the mean or more neutral response rather than a change in direction. On the ten factors where significant differences occurred, ANOVAs were computed between the mean difference scores (1981 minus 1982) and independent variables which included: college, rank, type of appointment, sex, years at ISU, years at other institutions, voting incidence, direction of vote, faculty assignment and curriculum committee participation. Whether faculty voted for or against the change produced the largest number of differences. Faculty who voted against the change responded more negatively to the change and the learning environment as they anticipated it would be under the semester system (1981 response before the change) and as they reported finding it in spring 1982.