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As higher education becomes more diverse, enrolling and supporting more students with unique challenges and circumstances, more colleges and universities have considered ways the academic calendar can accommodate student success, including the implementation of shorter courses.
A new report, authored by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers’ senior director of research Wendy Kilgore, with support from Ad Astra, looks at the implementation, impact and implications of shortened terms across nine colleges and universities.
Campus leaders shared their reasons for implementing shorter terms and guidance for other institutions looking to do the same.
Students Say
A May Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and Generation Lab found 19 percent of college students believe courses offered on an eight-week, accelerated basis would most increase their academic success (among 14 options, with the top five options related to professor actions). Black students (23 percent) and adult learners (21 percent) were more likely to indicate that accelerated courses would help them succeed.
What’s a SPOT? There is no common term in U.S. higher education to describe classes that are shorter than a full semester or quarter-length course, so Kilgore uses SPOT, or “shortened parts of term.” These are also known as a session, part of term, compressed term or shortened term, according to the report. Common examples include a January term or an eight-week class.
SPOTs are often employed in higher ed to increase flexibility to accommodate nontraditional learners or working professionals, reduce time to degree and accelerate degree completion, and improve learner retention, allowing students to take classes year-round or help them maintain eligibility for athletics programs or financial aid. The classes also help meet a demand for more efficient use of institutional resources.
Implementation can vary, based on learner needs and institutional contexts, but common approaches include offering a range of term lengths, implementing year-round scheduling, using SPOT for specific courses (including internships, fieldwork or study-abroad programs) or having a mix of traditional length classes and SPOT.
Methodology
The report pulls from insights at a virtual roundtable hosted on Oct. 1, 2024, which involved representatives from nine U.S. colleges and universities: Advent Health University, the Alamo Colleges District, Laramie County Community College, Murray State University, New Mexico Highlands University, Texas Christian University, the University of Dallas, Volunteer State Community College and the University of California, Merced.
In the report, a course is defined as an academic unit, and a class is the specific time in which a student enrolls in that course.
Academic programs may approach shortened terms in different ways, with technical programs more likely to use shortened terms for intensive instruction that all students need, and liberal arts programs using SPOTs for accelerating or catching students up in their degree programs. Several college leaders mentioned their institution employs short-term as well as full-length courses for high-demand classes to provide additional opportunities for students to enroll.
Inside scoop: Strategies some institutions have implemented to ensure quality and efficient use of SPOTs include:
- Limiting student enrollment. At one institution, administrators restrict students from taking multiple short courses simultaneously by limiting the total number of credits a student can complete in shortened formats. This helps ensure learner success in the intensive environment.
- Creating dedicated advising. Learners who participate in SPOT programs and classes often need specialized advising help, so campus leaders have designated advisers or other personnel to guide students through the accelerated terms.
- Building short terms into online programs. Many online education programs are offered in shortened forms to create flexibility for students and allow them to balance other commitments as needed.
- Leveraging technology. Information systems like Banner or PeopleSoft can help manage registration and wait-list processes for institutions that juggle multiple term lengths throughout the academic calendar.
- Providing faculty development. Sometimes course content cannot be adequately covered or assessed within the compressed time frame, presenting difficulties for learning, grading and assessment. Professional development for instructors can help enhance teaching effectiveness in SPOTs.
The challenges: While SPOT courses allow institutions to be more learner-focused, offering additional opportunities to complete credits and accommodating the diverse needs of the student body, the approach can test institutional systems, including course scheduling, room allocation and wait-list management.
Faculty members also face difficulties adjusting to the shortened terms, including managing their own schedules if they teach both short- and full-term courses and meeting teaching load requirements.
The impact: Across the nine institutions, there were varied results and measures of success in SPOT implementation. Some campuses had higher success and pass rates among students who took eight-week courses, while at others, students in accelerated courses earned lower grades compared to their peers in standard-length classes. Similarly, while some colleges noted these courses have accelerated degree completion for some learners, others are still gathering data to see if this is true.
Working professionals and adults were more likely to perform well in SPOT classes, according to some college leaders, whereas one institution found students just out of high school were less likely to succeed in the faster-paced courses.
Colleges and universities are tracking the effectiveness of these offerings and student outcomes through qualitative data such as focus groups or surveys or using technology and analytical tools.
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