Preliminary Studies of the Effectiveness of Minicourses for the In‐service Education of Teachers and Trainers

• G. Rex Meyer ^[1] ; carole Jenkins ^[1]
  1. [1] Mcquarie University, Australia
• Localización: Innovations in education and teaching international, ISSN 1470-3297, Vol. 16, Nº 3, 1979, págs. 210-218
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Since 1972 the Centre for Advancement of Teaching (CAT), Macquarie University, Sydney, has experimented with and refined the minicourse approach to in‐service education and staff development of teachers and trainers. A minicourse is distinct from a module in that it is a fully independent miniature course. It is based on an educational technology model and involves a variety of media and strategies appropriate for adult learners. The characteristics and qualities of the CAT minicourse programme have been described elsewhere.

    Evaluation of the effectiveness of any in‐service programme has methodological problems, not the least of which is identification of specific causal relationships among the multivariant factors determining the behaviour of teachers and students. Pilot evaluative studies, however, indicate a high level of approval by minicourse participants.

    Evaluation so far has been of a preliminary nature. Two types of study have been undertaken. The first has been concerned with checks on participants’ perceptions of the degree of achievement of specified objectives for each course. This type of study has suggested that most participants consider that they have attained satisfactory levels of achievement. The second type of evaluation has been a questionnaire survey of the opinions of past participants. Results of this survey suggest strong approval and acceptance of the programme. Almost all participants considered they had gained significantly in professional expertise as a result of attending one or more minicourses. Over 75 per cent considered that the minicourse was superior to most other forms of in‐service education they had experienced. Sixty‐five per cent considered that they could not have attained the specified objectives by any other means. Further research is required, however, to determine the optimal combination of minicourse characteristics leading to maximum effectiveness.