This fall, Central Piedmont Community College plans to offer close to 40-percent more compressed classes – this includes four- and eight-week classes – than it did in fall 2020.

The college’s decision to transition from the traditional, 16-week course schedule is based on national data from peer institutions, such as Odessa College, Ivy Tech Community College, Trident Tech and others, that shows students in compressed courses:

• consistently achieve higher success rates than their peers who were enrolled in full-length courses. This is especially true among part-time students;
• benefit from the constant pacing from term to term;
• excel at a higher level because they have to focus on fewer classes at a time; and
• have the opportunity to earn stackable credentials.

As a result of these findings, Central Piedmont created a pilot program in spring 2021 through a number of its programs, including Business Administration, Criminal Justice Technology, Interior Design, Welding Technology, and others, that offered students the option of enrolling in traditional, 16-week class sections, or taking multiple eight-week classes throughout the spring semester.

“We found students in compressed courses demonstrated improved time-management skills, enhanced focus and motivation, and improved knowledge retention,” said Dr. Heather Hill, vice president of academic affairs at Central Piedmont. “By offering our students more compressed sections, we are not only giving our students the opportunity to build a learning schedule that better accommodates their lifestyle, but also helping them complete and achieve their educational goals faster and on time.”

Central Piedmont plans to offer more than 1,000 classes in a compressed format in fall 2021. The fall semester, as well as the first four-, eight-, and 12-week sessions, begin Aug. 16. If you’re interested in learning more about Central Piedmont or registering for fall semester classes, please visit www.cpcc.edu/admissions/registration.