If you have a choice of courses to make, choose courses that you have a strong background in, as you may lack the time to learn a completely new topic in the provided time frame. Read the course descriptions carefully. Also, ask the students who have already taken this course whether the professor is giving students a lot of time-consuming assignments.
Because there may not be too many classes, if you miss one, it can be compared to missing two classes of a traditional course. If you do need to be absent when a class takes place, ensure that you you copy the notes of other students and catch up on the material you missed.
Advance preparation for every class of a short course is the key to success. The pace in a short course class is much faster than in the traditional class, which may mean that students who have not prepared for the class in advance may lag behind. With no time to accommodate those students, your professor will have to simply move on, leaving the laggards behind.
You cannot afford to miss any points or concepts in a short course class. Accordingly, you need to be focused at all times, participating in the class to the best of your ability. In addition, do all the assignments and study hard.
With the little time provided to cover each topic, you may not have an option but to prioritize. When selecting which topic to learn first and which later, be guided by the principle of importance, putting the most significant topics first. However, do not focus exclusively on any one topic, unless instructed to do so by the course.