by Eric Royer, Program Director
Accelerated courses are intentionally designed to offer scheduling and academic flexibility to students. These types of classes are offered in a shorter time frame – typically 4, 6, or 8 weeks – but are still expected to achieve the same learning objectives as their traditional 14-16 week counterparts. At SLU, a wide range of accelerated courses across multiple disciplines are taught during the summer term.
Teaching in an accelerated format brings its own set of challenges. The fast pace can intensify the learning process, particularly for students navigating condensed schedules, those adjusting to online learning, or both. Work-life balance strain can lead to burnout. Instructors may also feel pressure to cover an extensive body of content, sacrificing depth over breadth.
While I do not have a one-size-fits-all solution to these challenges, I can share some guiding practices that consistently shape how I approach designing and teaching accelerated courses. My hope is that whether you are a veteran instructor or teaching an accelerated course for the first time, you’ll find value in one or more of these practices.
Use Learning Objectives, Not Content, as the Driver of Your Course
As instructors, it’s natural to let content drive our courses—we are, after all, subject matter experts in our fields. However, when we focus too heavily on content, we can fall into the trap of trying to “fit everything in” simply for the sake of coverage. This pressure to cover all content can lead to courses that feel unfocused, rushed, or superficial.
As you prepare to teach your summer course, take a moment to reflect on what your goals for student learning are and how you can package these in clearly defined, measurable learning objectives. These objectives should reflect the key knowledge and skills students should be able to demonstrate by the end of the course. Centering your course design around these objectives will help you prioritize what’s most important for students to learn in the limited time you have with them. Using a backward design approach—starting with where you want students to end up (these are your learning objectives)— allows you to distinguish between essential content, material that’s important for future learning or professional application, and content that’s “nice to know” but not critical (Fink, 2013; Kops, 2014).
Design Assessment(s) to Give You Evidence of Multiple Learning Objectives
My colleague Sandy Gambill (now retired from SLU) always reminded me of the importance of developing course assessments that serve multiple functions. Rather than creating separate assessments to give you evidence of student learning against each objective in your course, consider creating assessments that intentionally address multiple objectives at once. Designing assessments in this way will not only streamline grading and reduce the number of assignments, but also give you a more holistic view of your students’ learning.
For example, you might assign a case study that requires students to analyze a scenario, synthesize course concepts, and apply what they’ve learned. This single assessment can simultaneously assess critical thinking, content knowledge, and the ability to apply theory to practice. Another option is a course simulation, where students engage in a real-life (or hypothetical) experience that builds foundational knowledge and then challenges them to express their learning in an applied situation. Even traditional exams can be redesigned to assess multiple objectives. A thoughtfully structured test might include a multiple-choice section to evaluate students’ ability to recall, compare, or differentiate between concepts, followed by a short-answer or essay section that asks them to apply those concepts to real-world problems.
Set a Predictable Pattern for Student Learning
In accelerated courses, consistency isn’t just helpful—it’s key. The fast pace and condensed schedule leaves little room for confusion or ambiguity, so establishing a predictable course structure can significantly reduce students’ cognitive load and improve their ability to stay on task (Wlodkowski and Ginsberg, 2010).
One of the simplest and most effective ways to foster this consistency is to maintain consistent due dates. For instance, setting Thursday at 5pm as a deadline for assignment submissions gives students a clear weekly target and helps them plan their time effectively.
Equally important is using a consistent structure for each course unit or module. When students know what to expect—such as readings posted every Monday, discussion posts due midweek, and unit exams wrapping up on Friday—they can spend less mental energy figuring out logistics and more energy engaging with your course.
To schedule a teaching consultation to talk further about teaching an accelerated summer course, please contact the Reinert Center at cttl@slu.edu or fill out our Teaching Consultation Request Form. If you’re teaching an accelerated summer course online, also consider the most recent edition of our Resources Revisited series on Teaching Accelerated Online Courses. Please also consider sharing your perspectives or experience teaching an accelerated course in the comment section below.
REFERENCES
Fink, L.D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (Revised and updated ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kops, W. G. (2014). Teaching Compressed-Format Courses: Teacher-Based Best Practices. Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 40(1), 1-18.
Wlodkowski, R. J., & Ginsberg, M. B. (2010). Teaching intensive and accelerated courses: Instruction that motivates learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
The Notebook 