Influence of a compressed semester on student performance in a construction science course

American Society for Engineering Education, 2017. Compressed semesters, also known as minimesters, are offered in some educational institutions in the United States. They are offered during the two-week break period between a regular semester (Spring or Fall) and summer. A minimester makes it possible for a student to complete a course on a shorter schedule. The author offered a course on Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems at a state university in Texas at the end of Spring semesters, both in 2015 and 2016. He offered the same course in Spring semesters, 2015 and 2016. The purpose this study is to find out whether there is difference in performance in the course between students taking the course in a regular semester and those taking it in a minimester. Total number of students enrolled for the course was 225 in Spring semesters and 50 in the minimesters. An analysis of the data, using Chi-square statistic, indicates that students in minimesters performed significantly better than those who took the course in Spring semesters.

Influence of a compressed semester on student performance in a construction science course Conference Paper