Part of Term Resources

Review Learning Outcomes and Context

Step 1: Review program and course level goals to ensure that they can be met with an accelerated timeline.

Successful accelerated format courses require that module objectives and learning assessments tightly align with course level outcomes.

REorganize Content

Step 2: Review course topics and content to cluster related topics in a logical scaffolded approach.

Combining overlapping course material and scaffolding complex topics over several weeks can ensure student progress in the accelerated timeline.

Organizing topics into three categories: Must Know, Should Know, and Nice to Know. Remove or adjust any topics that do not directly support the course learning outcomes.

Develop Assessments

Step 3: Review and adjust course assessments to ensure alignment with course and module-level objectives.

Consider scaffolding complex assessments. For example, instead of students completing 4 writing assignments, consider breaking one large writing assignment into 3-4 milestones and a final project.

Ensure a balance of formative and summative assessments. In a accelerated format, students require frequent, consistent, and timely formative feedback.

Design Learning Activities

Step 4: Depending on the course’s modality, consider what teaching practices maximize instructional time.

In-person/Synchronous: Strategies such as flipped courses, active learning, and team-based learning can maximize instructional engagement.

Asynchronous: Strategies such as content chunking, videos with embedded quizzes, collaborative projects, and scaffolded discussion boards can maximize student engagement with content.

Select Content Delivery

Step 4: The shift to an accelerated format requires an efficiency of delivery that provides students with clear cadence for their learning.

Here are a few questions for consideration:

• When do you ask learners to pause and reflect during the learning process? How do you optimize reflection through consistent, regular intervals? Consider the cadence of knowledge check-ins and formative feedback.
• How will learners interact with one another? In an accelerated course, relationship building will need to structured early in the course.
• How can you present the content in meaningful ways other than the traditional lecture? Accelerated courses benefit from multiple presentations of content. Consider options like infographics and diagrams, concept maps, annotated slide presentations, guided note taking.
• Have you created a weekly cadence for course announcements, assignments, interactions, and feedback? Accelerated courses benefit from a routine rhythm, such as general announcements on Mondays, assignments due on Sundays, discussion boards due on Thursdays, etc. Creating a rhythm for the course help prevent learners from falling behind and know what to expect.

Incorporate Student Success Strategies

Step 5: The fast pace of an accelerated course has many benefits, like concentrated time on content. However, accelerated courses often require students to grasp concepts more quickly than a traditional course. Learners are more likely to engage with campus support, such as tutoring and academic support, when it is normalized as an expectation of success in the course.

Here are a few campus support structures to consider including in your course resources:

• STEM Learning Center providing free tutoring to UNCG students enrolled in a wide range of STEM-focused courses, such as Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry and more.
• Academic Achievement Center offers tutoring, academic coaching, and workshops on learning skills.
• Communications Lab focuses on both speaking and writing, and provides communication support for students, faculty, and staff through one-on-one and group sessions focusing on dialogic feedback.