Short Format Courses

Designing a short-format course can present some unique challenges. We’ve assembled some resources to help you as you design your courses in Canvas.

Benefits and Challenges

High Quality Courses

Short format courses allow the instructor to focus more on the outcomes of academic rigor and efficiency. The resources on this page may come in handy as you determine the appropriate balance of efficiency and rigor in your short-format course.

Successful Short Format Courses:

• Are well planned
• Use various methods for face to face instruction (micro lectures, small group work, individual work, etc.)
• Utilize a multitude of teaching strategies
• Focus on learning outcomes and student assessment (Kops, 2014)

Five Steps to Designing the Primary Aspects of your Course

A well-built condensed course should also focus on its specific goal(s), which should ensure that the student leaves the class having learned the essential knowledge and skills. The self-directed guide linked here will walk you through five steps, taken from Dee Fink’s (2003) Integrated Guide to Designing College Courses, which you may find helpful as you design the primary aspects of your course in a new format.

1) Identify important situational factors

2) Identify important learning goals

3) Identify important feedback and assessment features

4) Select effective teaching and learning activities

5) Make sure the primary components are integrated

Additional ideas and resources you might find helpful as you progress through each stage can be found in this table.

Survival Strategies for Giving Feedback in 8-Week Courses

Designing a Hybrid Course

In an 8-week course schedule, a hybrid course that combines face-to-face and online instruction may be more desirable to some faculty. The Arizona State University Design for Online Learning Toolkit suggests faculty consider the following questions before teaching a hybrid course:

• Are you looking to emphasize active learning and problem solving?
• Do you want students to take ownership of their own learning?
• Do you want learning to be student-centered?
• Would you like a focus on inquiry and dialogue?
• Do you want to use technology to support your course and not drive it?

If you are interested in exploring a hybrid course design, you may find these resources helpful:

• Cornell University Center for Teaching and Learning – Getting Started with Designing a Hybrid Learning Course
• East Carolina University Office for Faculty Excellence – Teaching Large or Hybrid Classes
• University of Colorado Boulder – Hybrid Course Design

Analyzing and Determining Course Content

Wilson (2007) emphasizes the importance of prioritized learning and distinguishes between “must know” (prerequisite ideas) and “need to know” (less critical at the moment but must know later), and “nice to know” (can be put off without jeopardizing baseline knowledge) [Wilson (2007). When backward is forward thinking: Radical changes in instructional designs for summer school, as cited in Kops (2014)].

Take an inventory of the content to break down and prioritize content based on what students:

• “Must know” – prerequisite ideas. These are the objectives that are absolutely necessary for understanding. These objectives may be used for rapid acceleration or for remediation.
• “Need to know” – less critical at the moment but must know later. These are less imperative knowledge and skills that may be de-emphasized without placing the learner in immediate jeopardy.
• “Nice to know” – can be put off without jeopardizing baseline knowledge. This is usually information that adds substance, breadth, or interest to a subject or a skill.

A typical breakdown of this inventory for a general astronomy class may look like this:

Quick Tips for Designing Accelerated Courses (Rochester Institute of Technology)

Additional Resources

• The Chronicle of Higher Education – How to Shrink Your Course 
• Central Michigan University Curriculum and Instructional Support – Preparing a Course for Hybrid Delivery
• The University of Charlotte Center for Teaching and Learning – Short Courses/Part-of-Term Courses: Condensing Course Content 
• Johnson & Wales University College of Online Education – Successful Strategies for Teaching 8-Week Courses Online (36-minute video)
• Rochester Institute of Technology Teaching and Learning Services – Designing Accelerated Courses 
• Teaching Compressed-Format Courses: Teacher-Based Best Practices
  • This study provides insight into how highly rated instructors approached teaching compressed summer session courses, and offers a set of best practices that others might use when teaching in similar settings. Top-rated instructors indicated differences in the way they taught compressed-format summer session courses, with respect to course planning, classroom instruction, student assessment, and interaction with students. The study is of value to continuing educators, as universities are increasingly challenged to think about flexible delivery models, including teaching and learning in compressed formats.
• Quick Guide to Teaching Compressed Courses (Queens University of Charlotte)
• Extending the Conversation on Online Course Length (Inside Higher Ed)
  • This article discusses the current trend in higher education away from semester-long course offerings toward condensed courses, and why they will become more visible at many universities in the foreseeable future.
• The Benefits of Intensive Summer Courses (ChronicleVitae)
  • This article offers quick insights on the benefits of shorter, condensed courses for the summer and any time of the year. There are also several suggestions on teaching a condensed course.
• Twelve tips for effective short course design (Lockyer, 2009)
  • This article discusses ways in which components of curriculum can be condensed into a shorter format
• Tips for Adusting to a Block Schedule (Edumentum)
  • This article offers ideas for faculty to consider when transitioning to a block schedule

References

• Much of the information on this page was adapted from https://teaching.uncc.edu/teaching-guides/short-courses-part-term-courses-0. Short Courses. UNC Charlotte Center for Teaching and Learning.
• Fink, L.D. (2003) A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.
  • For a more in-depth review of Fink’s model, review Fink & Fink (2013) Creating Significant Learning Experiences:  An Integrated Approach to Designed College Courses, available to ECU Faculty through: (https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/eastcarolina/detail.action?docID=1394307)

• Kops, W. (2013). Teaching Compressed-Format Courses: Teacher-Based Best Practices, 40(1), 18. (https://doi.org/10.21225/D5FG7M)