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REGULAR VS. COMPRESSED SEMESTER: A COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS FOR TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (SUMMER SESSION, ACHIEVEMENT)
Abstract
The question of whether students learn best in a semester of traditional length or one with a compressed schedule is central to the development of many of the innovations in higher education scheduling today, yet little research is available to guide these efforts. The purpose of this study was to determine if students learn as effectively in a course that meets every day for five or eight weeks as they do in a regular semester which meets once or twice per week for sixteen weeks. This study used a quasi-experimental design. Eight classes of undergraduate and graduate students (N = 182) from the academic disciplines of Computer Science, History, and Educational Administration composed the sample. These classes consisted of four pairs of classes in the subject with the same instructor spring and summer, 1985, at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and Omaha campuses. Multiple regression was used to identify covariates from six independent variables; analysis of covariance was used, with pretest and GPA as covariates. The findings showed that the short semester was superior to the long one for Computer Science, but did not differ significantly for American History and School Law. Major conclusions are: (1) The compressed semester was more effective for learning in Computer Science than the traditional length semester. (2) Grade point average was highly related to achievement in both long and short semester classes and was therefore a valid predictor of academic performance at least one semester into the future. (3) Course load, major area of study, amount of paid employment, and length of time since previous study of a subject was not significantly related to achievement in the long or short semester.
Subject Area
Curricula|Teaching
Recommended Citation
BODDY, GEORGE WILLIAM, "REGULAR VS. COMPRESSED SEMESTER: A COMPARISON OF EFFECTIVENESS FOR TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION (SUMMER SESSION, ACHIEVEMENT)" (1985). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8606958.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8606958