The topic of vertical integration of the basic and clinical sciences is an area of great concern and active investigation in medical education. To explore the feasibility of integrating basic sciences into the clinical phase of medical education, gross anatomy was selected as an appropriate discipline. Anatomy faculty, clerkship directors, medical…

This article provides an example of how the traditions and values that have long underpinned the work of Christian higher education are of particular relevance to how Christian universities might partner with communities to address critical 21st-century challenges in groundbreaking new ways. The University of Dayton's Catholic and Marianist…

Effective pedagogical strategies are needed to improve statistical literacy within health sciences education. This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a highly interactive two-week biostatistics short course using the flipped classroom model in the United States. The course was required for all students at the start of a…

The SEED (Student Enterprise Experience in Dunedin) programme was developed as a four-week, intensive entrepreneurial "boot camp" to provide a small group of participants with a highly experiential business course. Using pre-course and post-course surveys, the authors measured the entrepreneurial ability, knowledge and intentions of the…

This document describes the adaptation of an American inservice teacher training package to German teacher education programs. Far West Laboratory's "Minicourse Nine" was processed in two steps in order to field-test the material and to eliminate possible language inconsistencies. Difficulties in the transference of educational material…

Improving the effectiveness of short-term training for personnel serving the handicapped requires adequate evaluation of rehabilitation programs. This monograph presents a sample of evaluative theoretical positions, methodological approaches, and innovative strategies applicable to the evaluation function. Papers included are: (1) "Evaluation…

This article describes a jointly planned and jointly evaluated course offered through Washington State University General Extension. The purpose of the course was to improve instruction in elementary classrooms through use of competency-based training materials (Minicourses) from the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development.…

A long-range study was designed to measure the effectiveness of a training methodology called high intensity training to prepare workers for higher level jobs in less time than traditional training methods. The subjects of the study are six organizations, 68 trainees, nine supervisors, and six management personnel; three to eight months after…

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.…

The purpose of this monograph is to discuss the minicourse as a model for the continuing education of teachers. The first section defines the minicourse and describes its evolution. The second section discusses the characteristics of the minicourses at the Centre for Advancement of Teaching (CAT) at Macquarie University, New South Wales,…

This project established seven regional demonstration centers for the teacher training products "Minicourses" of the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. The goals of these centers were as follows: a) to attract awareness and interest of prospective users, b) to provide a setting in which educators could evaluate…

Schools can achieve humanistic goals, assert these writers, by providing students more options and therby meeting their diverse needs. Showing how widespread the mini-concept is, they report in this article a three-state survey that indicates how principals feel about their programs. (Editor)

The experience of the first year of operation of a Santa Monica Hospital Medical Center two- to six-week "miniresidency" in family practice is described. This intensive in-hospital training program was established to provide a broad review of knowledge and skills for physicians in family practice in California. (Author/MLW)

Reports on an undergraduate earth science course for non-science majors structured around five-week minicourses. Evaluates student and teacher response to the program. (CP)