Transition From Traditional Courses To Time Shortened Courses New Initiatives In The Construction Technology Discipline

Intensive or time-shortened courses taught outside the traditional semester or quarter system format are becoming increasingly common in many colleges and universities across the United States. The primary reason for this transition from traditional courses to flexible format courses is due to the increasing number of non-traditional students. Intensive, short duration courses are convenient to these students who are attempting to complete school while maintaining full-time jobs and family life. However, many educators are concerned with the “learning outcomes” of such non-traditional courses and quite often the perception of both the faculty and students is that these time-shortened courses some how lack the academic rigor of the more traditional courses. This paper addresses the teaching techniques for intensive courses, the use of such courses in the construction discipline, and the student and faculty perceptions of these courses.