This article reports on a qualitative study that explored the experiences of eight Hong Kong teachers of academic subjects who undertook a full-time, short-term professional development course (PDC) designed to provide them with specialized knowledge and classroom skills required to teach content subjects through the English medium. Using a…

The Torah teacher faces a dilemma of how to teach complex, ancient, sacred texts to modern children. How can she convey the relationship between rabbinic commentary and Scripture? This article recounts the story--and the challenges--of one midrash mini-course that I taught an American class as part of a wider research project. The aim of the…

In this study, the effect of a Communication and Conflict Resolution Skill Training Program on sociotropy levels of university students were investigated. The working group was consisted of thirty two voluntary university students. A pre-test and post-test model was used with control group and experimental group, each consisting of sixteen…

Online courses offer benefits over face-to-face courses such as accessibility, affordability, and flexibility. Literature assessing the effectiveness of face-to-face and online courses is growing, but findings remain inconclusive. This study compared evaluations completed by professionals who had taken a research update short course either face to…

This article examines the teaching practicum in Thailand as it occurs in three settings: "Rajabhats"--four-year universities which offer an additional period of teaching practice, and where the vast majority of EFL teachers are educated; regular universities; and a TESOL short course certificate program for non-Thais preparing to teach…

A continuous classroom assessment technique, "Five-minute" essays, was applied during a short course called "Scientific Methods in Archaeology--Applications and Problems", given at the Archaeological Research Laboratory, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden. There was a strong positive…

Primary school teachers generally have to teach several subjects. Their training, however, is often fairly short and it is tempting to force-feed them with everything they need to know to teach these subjects. It is more realistic to accept that a short course cannot do everything. Instead, it would be better to equip these students with skills…

Nine special education teachers participated in a language development minicourse emphasizing behavioral approaches. Results showed substantial increases in the teachers' use of skills in the week they were featured in the course. Further increases occurred for most skills when they were exposed to the full combination oF training methods. (CL)

Discusses the problems related to evaluating in-service minicourses at Macquarie University, Sydney, and the results of two preliminary studies. The first examined participants' perceptions of the degree to which specified objectives were achieved for each course. The second was a questionnaire surveying the opinions of past participants.…

The Human-Environment Research Observatory (HERO) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program aimed to develop the next generation of researchers working on place-based human-environment problems. The program followed a cooperative learning model to foster an integrated approach to geographic research and to build collaborative research…

Objective: To describe the relative effectiveness of a short versus long course of family-based therapy (FBT) for adolescent anorexia nervosa at long-term follow-up. Method: This study used clinical and structured interviews to assess psychological and psychosocial outcomes of adolescents (ages 12-18 years at baseline) who were previously treated…

This study examined the Mini-Course Enrichment Program offered at two Ottawa (Ontario, Canada) universities which provide week-long programs for gifted secondary school students. Respondents (97 students and 80 parents) perceived that the program enhanced personal control, developed a sense of risk taking, and helped in preparing for the future.…

In two Chicago high schools, students taking the traditional 40-week course in United States history were compared to students taking 4 10-week minicourses. No significant differences were found in learning or student attitudes. (SJL)

The study looked at the relationship between gifted students' sense of self-efficacy to their decisions to undertake independent investigations. It also examined whether efficacy beliefs, gifted behavior, or both could be increased by participation in a mini-course on research methodology. The literature on self-efficacy theory is reviewed showing…

An examination is made of a foreign language teaching concept called pre-language that attempts to help foreign language students increase their speaking confidence and speaking abilities in the new language. The teaching method is designed for four distinct environments, including: (1) an independent mini-course for tourists or emergency needs;…