Thersa Neil Research Fund Presentation 2: Teaching In Summer Session:
Searching For Faculty-Centered Best Practices
Presenter: Bill Kops – University of Manitoba
Moderator: Martin Barry – Oregon State University
Introduction and Purpose
The topic is one that has long been of interest to those involved in summer session
because of efforts to ensure the quality of academic programs taught in the summer
term(s). Concerns have been raised, by some, about the efficacy of courses taught in such
intensive/compressed formats. While the literature on the topic of teaching and learning
using intensive formats is not extensive, most of what has been reported supports the
notion that the quality of the learning experience is comparable to when the same subject
matter is taught in a longer format, particularly when the instructional quality is high.
This study attempts to provide more detailed information about how faculty, known for
the high quality instruction, approach teaching in a compressed/intensive format, identify
how these teaching strategies and approaches may differ from those used in full-length
sessions, and propose “best practices” for teaching in Summer Session. It is expected the
results of the study will have broad interest to directors, faculty, and others involved in
the production of high quality summer sessions teaching/learning experiences.
Best Practice – What is it?
Best practice or benchmarking is used as a way to improve organizational performance.
Best practice refers to those practices that have shown to have good results, have been
selected using a systematic process, and have been judged as exemplary. Once identified,
best practices can be adapted/adopted to improve performance. The process begins by
identifying critical areas of practice, then determining best practices in each of the areas.
In other words, benchmarking involves identifying outstanding practices used elsewhere
and then trying to learn from them. In other words, the process would involve identifying
“best practice” individuals or institutions then determining how they do what they do.
Often, the easiest part of benchmarking is determining what is best practice, while the
more difficult part is implementing these practices in another organization. In order for
implementation to happen, it is important to take into account resistance to change,
identify performance gaps, and develop a process to integrate new practices into teaching
approaches of faculty.
Instructor Sample
Initially, a sample of 27 successful summer term instructors (rank of professor or
lecturer) from the University of California at Santa Barbara were selected and
interviewed about their strategies and approaches for teaching in summer session. The
goal was to obtain a sample of faculty teaching different subject matter (humanities; fine
arts; social sciences; mathematics; life and physical sciences; engineering) in order to get
a sense of teaching strategies across academic disciplines. Individuals selected had to
have taught undergraduate courses in two or more summer terms (in the past 5 years),
and have a reputation for as a high performing instructor. As well, instructors had to have
taught in the “regular” (full length) session in the last five years.
Recommendations for Best Practices
The goal of a teacher or administrator with responsibility for planning quality learning
experiences is to create conditions where the greatest amount of learning can take place
for the greatest number of learners. (Craig Swenson, 2003)Identifying and using best
practices for teaching in compressed formats will help to increase the likelihood that such
a goal can be achieved. What do successful summer session faculty do to ensure quality
of student’s learning experience? What can we learn from them? What is best practice?
Some of the answers to these questions are organized below. Based on the analysis of
interviews with successful teachers, suggested best practices are outlined that can be
adopted to improve teaching performance and the quality of the learning experience in
courses taught in an intensive format, such as in summer sessions.
Determine basis for restructuring the course – high performing instructors consider restructuring the course as the key element in preparing to teach intensive format courses.
Restructuring or “re-chunking” requires that instructors reorganize/redesign the course
content and processes into a different format. This may require prioritizing content,
whereby some material is given more emphasis than others or eliminating/deferring some
content altogether. While courses taught in intensive formats typically have the same
amount of contact hours/class time, the courses are taught at a faster pace, i.e., longer and
more frequent class meetings. This results in a need to think about how to set up the
course content to fit the varied schedule. Instructors need to ask themselves how to rechunk or re-configure the content and processes to fit. Best practice suggests that
instructors consider the basis on which to determine the fit of course content. One
suggestion is to focus on outcomes versus content, i.e., what do students need to know
versus what content needs to be covered. For example, the “need to know” determination
may be based on requirement of advanced courses in the discipline. An outcomes-based
approach helps outline the “must” versus “should” components of the course.
Be over organized – good organization is key to any successful teaching experience, but
it is particularly important when teaching in a compressed format. High performing
instructors plan carefully taking into consideration the compressed schedule. They make
every effort to anticipate everything that is required, and/or could happen during the
session/course.
Set longer planning horizon - the planning horizon needs to be longer for courses taught
in a compressed format. In other words, a teaching/lesson plan should be developed for
the entire course before starting, including time for creating opportunities for
instructor/student interaction.
Develop guides textbooks/readings - high performing instructors provide guides to
assist students with reading assignments. This practice fits with the idea of supporting
students during the learning process. For example, guides could include an outline of the
textbook chapters and readings that students must read versus those that students should
read (i.e., secondary importance); an arrangement for shared reading where not all
students are individually responsible for all readings, but rather students are assigned
selected reading with a responsibility to report to the class; a list of discussion/reflection
questions for assigned readings to help students focus on key issues and topics.
Provide lecture notes/slides to students – while this may be considered some of the
work that students should be doing, it ensures that students have the basic information
contained in lectures and presentations. As well, it provides instructors with an
opportunity to shift class time from information giving to greater interaction with
students.
Move activities outside of class time – in addition to assigning readings and written
assignments outside of class time, high performing instructors assign other activities that
are done in-class during the full semester/term to outside of class time. For an example,
students are required to view films outside of class time in intensive format courses
versus viewing in class.
Take advantage of intensive, continuous format and smaller class size – typically,
classes taught in intensive formats in the summer have comparatively fewer students.
Smaller classes provide a better opportunity to recognize and respond to learner
differences, which should allow for greater learner engagement, reflection and feedback.
The notion of engagement suggests setting a relaxed classroom atmosphere and a sense
of community through discussion, group work, and problem-based learning. This, in turn,
helps learners to make connections with course material. Further, it is important to gain
the right balance ofchallenge and support in order to foster learning. The idea of
reflection also fits with smaller class settings because of the opportunity for guided
reflection in the context of discussion, group work and other similar strategies. For
example, instructors could schedule time to invite discussion and/or for a question and
answer period. The intensive, continuous schedule of intensive-format courses provides
an opportunity for instructors and students to focus more effectively with relatively less
interruption than in courses taught in a full length semester/term. This has advantages in
terms of both creating a more seamless teaching/learning experience, and increasing
“time on task”. Instructors teaching in intensive formats should capitalize on these
advantages when preparing to teach intensive-format courses.
Schedule breaks within class time – because of the intensity and length of intensive
format classes, it is important to schedule breaks within class time. Breaks help students
(and instructors) to maintain their stamina and interest over longer class times, and
provide an opportunity for instructor-to-student, and student-to-student interaction.
Utilize varied student mix – courses in summer session often attract a greater variety of
students, including mature students and visiting students from other universities and
colleges. The result is a broader range of experiences and backgrounds than is typically
the case in courses offered at other times during the academic. High performing
instructors take advantage of this situation to enrich the experience within the classroom
for all students.
Be more available to students – even though the contact/classroom time may be
equivalent, students do not have as much opportunity to connect with instructors as they
do in a full length term/semester. Consequently, it is important for intensive-format
course instructors to be more available to students by scheduling longer, and more
frequent office hours, and arriving early and staying after class. The increased
opportunities to meet with students to deal with academic and other course related issues
are essential to student retention and success in intensive courses.
Redesign and/or reduce assignments – to fit the time compression of intensive courses.
Successful instructors did a number of things to ensure that assignments were meaningful
given the revised time frame of summer session courses. Instructors felt that
deconstructing single longer assignments into frequent shorter assignments allowed
students to complete assignments more readily without compromising the integrity of the
course. Further, instructors scheduled the first assignment early in the course in order to
have students start immediately. More specifically, some instructors require an
assignment outline early in the course that is included as part of the assignment grade.
This is most appropriate for larger assignments that may be due later in the course. As
well as immersing students in course work earlier, early and/or more frequent
assignments provide early and frequent feedback, and encourage students to keep up with
the course work. As part of the redesign of a course for an intensive format, successful
instructors reschedule reading and written assignments to fit the “rhythm” of the course
such that assignments are synchronized with lectures. In particular, attention is given to
scheduling longer assignments and more complex readings over longer breaks in the
week. In some instances, best-practice instructors felt it was prudent to reduce the
number of assignments in order to allow students to complete the course requirements in
the compressed time frame. The general view was that a reduction in the number or
length of assignments did not jeopardize the academic integrity of the course or limit
students’ ability to perform.
Stay on schedule - successful instructors often commented on the importance of staying
on schedule – both in terms of the teaching agenda and the requirements for students to
keep pace with the course. They emphasize that instructors should check frequently about
pacing by checking with one’s course plan (emphasizes the value of planning the entire
course versus planning on a week-by-week basis).
Stress time management - closely related to keeping pace is coaching students on time
management. Often instructors assume that students are experienced at time management,
particularly senior students. While this may be true in terms of the full length semester,
the lessons of time management need to be reviewed for students taking courses in
intensive formats. This includes stressing the importance of beginning course work early
– leaving reading and assignments until later is a recipe for failure. Some best-practice
instructors provide students with a time management survival guides or summary of tips
on how to manage time in summer session. In particular, successful instructor alert
students to the intensity and fast pace of the course, and the need to commit time to the
course, including warning students not to overextend themselves with too many activities
outside of the course.
Focus on teaching - as important as it is for students to focus their attention on the
course, so it is for instructors. Successful instructors talked about “clearing the decks” in
order to be focused on teaching for the intensive period. In other words, instructors were
careful not to clutter their schedule in order to concentrate all their energy on teaching.
Teach familiar content/courses - some instructors recommended not teaching a course
for the first time in summer session (intensive format) because it is important to have
prior experience teaching the course. Without a good grasp of the content and the
processes of teaching a course, it is difficult to make the needed decisions to ensure the
course will be successful in an intensive format. This is particularly important for less
experienced instructors – less experienced in teaching, generally, and teaching in an
intensive format, specifically. On the contrary, instructors with a good deal of teaching
experience, both in the full length term and summer session, often used the summer
session to develop and teach a new course because, as one instructor stated, it is a great
time to experiment.
Teach fewer courses - similarly, some successful instructors suggested not teaching
more than one course at a time. Again this will vary with experience, but, as is the case
with students, teaching more than one course is more time consuming and energy
draining, which can have a negative impact on the quality of the teaching/learning
experience.
Maintain expectations and standards - instructors generally were clear that
expectations and standards were not lowered in courses that they taught in intensive
formats in the summer session. Redesigning a course, selectively determining reading
requirements, and adjusting assignments and tests do not result in a lowering standards
and expectations. On the contrary, many instructors attributed these changes to creating a
better learning experience for students in courses taught in a compressed format.
Deal with complex topics early - don’t leave complex topics to the end of the course
was a practice echoed by several best-practice instructors. This practice connects to the
earlier discussion of re-chunking course content to fit the compressed class schedule and
decisions around the “must” versus “should” inclusion of course content. Given other
considerations like the sequencing of topics, it makes sense to deal with “must” topics
earlier in the course than at the end when time pressures may increase. In other words, it
is good course planning not to leave key or complex topics to the end of the course.
Note - it is anticipated that the full length version of the paper will be available in an
upcoming issue of Summer Academe or contact Dr. Bill Kops for more information:
Bill Kops
Director, Summer Session
University of Manitoba
188 Extended Education
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3T 2N2
Phone: 204-474-6198
E-mail: bkops@ms.umanitoba.ca.