Compressed Courses

Spanish 101 is an introduction to the Spanish language and to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. In this course, students develop the four abilities necessary for learning a second language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. As part of the learning of the language, students will be in contact with situations in everyday life, and will be involved with local communities. The cultural component is just as important in this course as the grammar. The course is taught in Spanish.

One method to increase flexibility in class offerings is through the use of compressed courses, classes that have the same number of contact hours but over a shorter time period (e.g., 8 weeks vs. 15 weeks). Before offering these courses, it is important to
determine whether they lead to equivalent or better student outcomes. This study examined 11 traditional-length and 8 compressed sections of the same graduate-level statistics course. Results indicated students in the compressed class scored significantly
higher on both the third exam and final course grade. Student course evaluations were also significantly higher in the compressed courses. Graduate students rated traditional-length and compressed courses similar in difficulty. Implications for course offerings are discussed.

Spanish 101 is an introduction to the Spanish language and to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world. In this course, students develop the four abilities necessary for learning a second language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. As part of the learning of the language, students will be in contact with situations in everyday life, and will be involved with local communities. The cultural component is just as important in this course as the grammar. The course is taught in Spanish.

In recent years, developmental education in the community colleges has received much attention. However, there has been little research examining the relationship between course length and course success in developmental education. Using historical enrollment data from a large, suburban community college in southern California, this study examines the relationship between course length and course success in developmental education when social and academic background characteristics are controlled. The study hypothesized that there would be no significant or practical difference in success rates for students taking compressed (i.e., courses less than eight weeks in length) or regular length developmental English, reading, or math courses when social or academic characteristics are controlled. Results demonstrate that developmental course length was associated with statistically and practically significant differences in course success observed across all categories of age, gender, and ethnicity. Students enrolled in compressed-format courses were more likely to succeed than students enrolled in regular-length courses. Higher successful course completion rates for compressed courses were observed across all departments, with the highest successful course completion