This article explores how teachers' experiences of teaching accelerated courses in a residential setting compared with their experiences of teaching in their traditional contexts. It looks at how teachers responded to the opportunities the accelerated format provided and how this caused them to revisit not only what they taught, but how they taught. Teaching in an intense residential setting also allowed teachers to be more aware of their students as learners and caused them to revisit the purpose of higher education. Suggestions are made for how accelerated courses could be seen as part of an academic year as they offer advantages to both teacher and student. (Contains 5 figures.)