Teaching Guides & Resources > Teaching Strategy & Pedagogy > Accelerated Terms

Shortened or accelerated terms are compressed academic terms that allow students to complete courses in a shorter period compared to traditional semester lengths (e.g., 7-week vs. 15-week terms). These terms offer flexibility for students to accelerate their progress, balance coursework with work or personal obligations, or recover from dropped courses. 

Benefits of Accelerated Terms

  • Faster Course Completion: Students can complete classes in shorter time, allowing for quicker progress toward degrees.
  • Flexible Scheduling: These terms can fit around full-time work or other commitments. Students can focus on fewer courses at a time.
  • Increased Course Offerings: Multiple start dates throughout the year, allowing for more course enrollment opportunities.
  • Potential Cost Savings: Accelerated programs may reduce overall costs by shortening the time to graduation.
  • Focused Learning: Students feel that shorter terms offered greater immersion in the subject.

Challenges of Accelerated Terms

  • Intensified Workload: Courses move at a faster pace, often requiring students to dedicate more time per week compared to traditional terms.
  • Limited Time for Content Mastery: Students have less time to absorb and reflect on course material, which can be challenging for those who benefit from deeper processing or more extended periods of review.
  • Condensed Assessment Schedule:  Students have less time between assessments, making it difficult for some to fully prepare for exams, projects, and assignments.
  • Limited Opportunity for Remediation:  With the fast pace, students who struggle with certain concepts have less time to seek help or improve before moving on to new material.
  • Difficulty Balancing Other Commitments:  The increased weekly workload can make it harder for some students to balance academic responsibilities with work, family, or other personal obligations.

Best Practices for Instructor Success

  • Clarify Learning Outcomes: Ensure course objectives are clear, concise, and directly aligned with assignments and assessments.
  • Streamline Content: Focus on the most essential topics and concepts, avoiding information overload by prioritizing key learning materials.
  • Chunk Content Delivery: Break down content into manageable modules or segments to promote better comprehension and retention.
  • Design Active Learning: Incorporate interactive activities like discussions, case studies, or problem-solving exercises to engage students actively.
  • Provide Timely Feedback: Give frequent and timely feedback to students, allowing them to stay on track and make necessary improvements early.
  • Promote Time Management: Encourage students to set a study schedule, offering guidance on pacing to meet course deadlines effectively.
  • Be Flexible and Supportive: Offer options for synchronous and asynchronous participation to accommodate students' varying schedules and needs.
  • Facilitate Peer Interaction: Encourage collaboration through group projects, discussion forums, or peer review to enhance learning in a compressed timeframe.
  • Assess Frequently: Use shorter, more frequent assessments like quizzes, reflections, or discussions to gauge student progress and comprehension regularly.

Best Practices for Student Success

  • Time Management: Plan a study schedule early, set aside regular study times, and avoid procrastination.
  • Stay Engaged: Participate in class discussions, complete assignments promptly, and seek help when needed.
  • Use Resources: Take advantage of school-provided academic support services, like tutoring or study groups.
  • Stay Organized: Keep track of important dates, assignments, and exams by using a planner or digital calendar.
  • Set Goals:  Establish clear, realistic academic and personal goals to help maintain focus and motivation.
  • Create a Study Space: Designate a quiet, distraction-free area for studying to maximize concentration and productivity.
  • Seek Feedback: Regularly ask for feedback from instructors and peers to improve your learning process and performance.
  • Collaborate with Peers: Engage in group study sessions to share insights, challenge ideas, and deepen understanding of course material.

Course Maps

Course maps are useful visual tools when designing or redesigning your course. Paralleling the backward design process, a course map is essentially a representation of how you intend to approach and assess each of the student learning outcomes you identified for your course. These documents describe the course map process, backwards design, and the components of the course map:

Conclusion

Shortened or accelerated terms provide a flexible, fast-paced alternative to traditional semesters, but they require careful planning, strong time management, and a clear understanding of the workload. Faculty must prioritize clarity in course design and ensure that learning outcomes are achievable within the condensed timeline. By fostering active engagement and offering regular support, instructors can help students succeed in this demanding format while maintaining the same academic rigor as a full-length course.

Resources and References