{"id":4940,"date":"2023-09-01T11:01:41","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T15:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/itds\/?page_id=4940"},"modified":"2024-09-25T09:30:29","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T13:30:29","slug":"shifting-your-course","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/itds\/essentials\/shifting-your-course\/","title":{"rendered":"Shifting Your Course to 14 or 7 Weeks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The academic calendar will shift to offer 14 week semesters in 2025. This is intended to allow for more consistency between Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. It will also allow the addition of a mid-semester break in the Fall, matching the structure of the Spring semester, giving the ability to split each semester into two 7 week terms. If you currently teach in a 15 week format, you will want to change your course to 14 weeks so that student learning is maximized. Courses in an 8 week format will also shift to a 7 week format.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ITDS provides course design consultations to assist with this transition. We also have a workshop to guide you in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upcoming Workshops<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>
Schedule a 1-on-1 Consultation<\/a><\/span>
\n<\/div><\/div>\n

To get started on making this transition, consider the recommended strategies below: <\/span><\/p>\n

Prioritize Coursework Based on Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n

The learning outcomes should be the same for a course, irrespective of the delivery format or the number of weeks. When shifting from 15 to 14 weeks or 8 to 7 weeks you will have to revisit your learning outcomes to ensure that you are focusing on activities and content that assists students in meeting them, and have the opportunity to reframe the assessments in the course.<\/span><\/p>\n

As you consider what needs to change in your course, prioritize the course content, activities and assessments that are closely connected to your learning outcomes. It may be helpful to map (remap), utilizing backwards design<\/a> to re-envision the activities or assessments in the course.<\/p>\n

Rank the topics in your course on this scale:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
1.<\/span> Must Know<\/dt>\n
Prerequisite knowledge attained prior to the course.<\/dd>\n
Foundational knowledge needed to satisfy course goals and learning objectives throughout the course.<\/dd>\n
2.<\/span> Need to Know<\/dt>\n
Less critical at the moment but must know later.<\/dd>\n
De-emphasizing less imperative knowledge and skills without placing the learner in immediate jeopardy.<\/dd>\n
3.<\/span> Nice to Know<\/dt>\n
Can be put as a lower priority without jeopardizing baseline knowledge.<\/dd>\n
This is usually information that adds substance, breadth, or interest to a subject or a skill.<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n

Modify Assignments to Align with the New Timeline<\/h3>\n

Make necessary adjustments to assignments, combining assignments or reducing their length while maintaining the learning objectives. Provide timely feedback on assignments to ensure students are on the right track. Integrate authentic assessments which connect student learning to real-world scenarios. Making weekly announcements that include to-do lists for the students, and\/or wrap up and summarize the week\u2019s work are methods to maintain student engagement throughout the course.<\/p>\n

Review Your Course\u2019s Workload<\/h3>\n

As you remove one week from your course, you may find it valuable to review the student workload. This may illuminate where you can trim in one area of the course or reduce in another to balance the workload. The Wake Forest University\u2019s Course Workload Estimator<\/a> is a useful\u00a0 tool to use to ensure that the workload is consistent, even after you have adjusted the coursework to 14 or 7 weeks.<\/p>\n

Maximize Instruction Through Effective Teaching Strategies<\/h3>\n

Employ teaching practices that will enable you to maximize instructional time. Below are some strategies that may help make up for the 1-week reduction. <\/span><\/p>\n