College Readiness Assessment
Category: Pathways to and Through Postsecondary
As colleges face increasing pressure to improve student outcomes, one solution gaining traction is the adoption of condensed courses (i.e., shortened academic terms). We employ quasi-experimental methods to estimate the effect of enrolling in a condensed course on course- and student-level outcomes at all public community colleges in Tennessee. We also leverage interviews with college faculty, students, and staff to examine potential mechanisms that explain these outcomes. Our findings indicate that enrolling in condensed courses leads to higher course grades and lower withdrawal rates. Qualitative analyses suggest students are more focused and motivated in condensed courses, and faculty adapt grading practices to manage the shorter course length. We find a more nuanced story regarding associations between condensed course-taking and longer-term outcomes. Despite finding positive associations between condensed course-taking and average GPA, we find mixed associations between condensed course-taking and persistence. We also find substantial heterogeneity based on the number of condensed courses a student took in their first semester. Analyses of student and faculty interviews reveal concerns about knowledge retention as well as challenges building relationships with peers and instructors.
Keywords
condensed courses, community college, higher education, student success, mixed methods, fixed effects, instrumental variables, interviews
Education level
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/3mpa-1h50
