As the end of spring semester approaches, many faculty begin turning their attention to preparing for Maymester or the summer sessions. Converting 15 week courses into 8 week or 4 week format, however, presents a unique challenge. How can faculty nurture student understanding and provide meaningful feedback at such an accelerated pace?
Luckily, there is consensus among institutions like UNC Charlotte, the University of Illinois, Florida International University, Montclair State University, and Carnegie Mellon University, informed by Kops (2014) on best practices for achieving compressed-format courses. Check out the three guidelines below on outcomes and assessment, pacing, and student support to see what might work with your approaches to accelerated course preparation.
I. Prioritize Learning Outcomes and Student Assessments
-Ensure students have ample time to grasp foundational or core concepts (L.O. Wilson, 2007; Kops, 2014). Consider organizing your 15 week course content into the categories below to see if any content can be reduced or removed from the course.
| Must Know | Need to Know | Nice to Know |
| Imperative knowledge Prerequisite Foundational or core concepts | Not as imperative, but might be needed later | Depth or interest topics Additional resources Content that can be removed from a course without diminishing student knowledge or grasp of core concepts |
-Review your assessments to ensure they align closely with the course outcomes. If an assessment demands significant student effort but doesn’t effectively support student learning, consider reducing the weight of the assessment, making it optional, or eliminating it.
-Ensure meaningful feedback is given with enough time for students to apply it before the next assessment is due, especially if tests, projects, and other assignments are cumulative.
II. Pace Content and Assignments
-Address complex and core content early in the course.
-Assign short content (fewer pages of reading or micro-video lectures) on weekdays and longer content on Fridays for weekend review and preparation.
– Remove optional, suggested, “nice to know” readings and external content not necessary for achieving course outcomes.
-Spend less time reviewing or repeating content session-to-session; instead, integrate quick-study documents or micro-video lectures on challenging topics.
-Time management is crucial. Consider providing a one-week calendar to help students pace course requirements and submit assignments on time.
-If your final exam is usually in the last week of class, use your class time (online or face to face) as instructional time that week and schedule your exam or final assignment during the actual exam period that follows reading days.
III. Increase Student Supports
-Provide several contact methods, including frequent office hours, drop-in chats, staying after class, and clear communication guidelines (email, Blackboard messaging, Teams chat, Zoom guidelines).
-Consider offering lecture notes, guided notes, or graphic organizers to aid content review and exploration.
-For face to face courses, consider using a flipped model with video lectures assigned for completion before class so instructional time can focus on questions, content extension, and material applications during class.
-For online courses, consider using group or collaborative work only for smaller projects. Have students submit individual work for the major grades in the course.
Preparing for Maymester and Summer Semesters includes making thoughtful adjustments to course structure and content delivery. By implementing some of the strategies above, instructors may enhance student engagement and learning in accelerated formats. However instructors decide to alter their courses, effective communication and timely feedback are key to supporting students through these short, intensive sessions.