This study compared students' learning experiences in a set of courses in British literature and a set of courses in marketing, in which each set included a course taught in an intensive format and a semester-long format with the same instructor and content. Data collection included participant observation, videotaped class sessions, questionnaires completed by students, document analysis, and interviews with students and instructors. Students and faculty felt that intensive classes engendered a continuous learning experience which allowed students to connect and synthesize ideas better. Students reported they were able to concentrate exclusively on a small number of classes and could plan their schedules better. Other findings suggested that longer class sessions fostered more in-depth discussions, that intensive classes required more mental investment and commitment, that students' academic performance improved, that instructors' expectations were relaxed, and that classroom relationships were closer. Results suggest that if students perceive that most or all of the high-quality attributes are present, intensive courses are more powerful learning experiences. Factors that may alter the relationship between high-quality attributes and powerful intensive courses include teaching skill, degree of intensiveness, students' other responsibilities, students' age and intellectual development, time of year, subject matter, and relative classroom experience. (JDD)