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Abstract Background Diversity is a reality in our societies, requiring health professionals to adapt to the unique needs of all patients, including migrants and ethnic minorities. In order to enable health professionals to meet related challenges and reduce health disparities, long and demanding training courses have been developed. But due to busy schedules of professionals and often scarce resources, a need for shorter training courses exists. This study aims to investigate which topics and methods should be prioritised in designing basic diversity training courses that provide health professionals the opportunity to foster this competence. Methods The study provided an expert panel of 31 academic and clinical migrant health experts with the content and methods of an existing diversity training course. The panel was asked to prioritise training topics and teaching methods in a two-stage process, using an adapted Delphi method. In the first stage, experts rated 96 predefined items, commented on those items, provided answers to eight open-ended questions and suggested additional content for a short course. In the second stage, they commented on the ratings from Round 1, and rated new suggested content. Consensus for training topics was set to 80% and for teaching methods 70%. Results The entire panel deemed ‘health effects of migration (pre-, during- and post-migration risk factors)’ to be important or very important to include in a short/online, basic diversity training (100% consensus). Other high-scoring items and therefore topics to be included in trainings were ‘social determinants of health’ (97%) and ‘discrimination within the healthcare sector’ (also 97%). A general trend was to focus on reflective practice since almost all items regarding reflection reached consensus. ‘Reflection on own stereotypes and prejudices’ (97%) was the highest-rated reflection item. ‘Opportunities and best practices in working with interpreters’ was the highest-scoring skills item, both on consensus (96%) and mean value (5.77). Conclusions Experts’ prioritizations of teaching content and methods for diversity training can help the design of short (online) trainings for health professionals and reduce unnecessary course content, thereby fostering professional development and enabling diversity competence trainings to be implemented also when time and/or financial resources are limited.

Simple Summary: The importance of sanitation in food storage areas is sometimes overlooked. However, sanitation is vitally important to ensure safe storage of food products. Without good sanitation, the stored commodities are more likely to become infested by mold, rodents, birds, and insect pests. This paper reviews the history of sanitation legislation, courses and conferences, and research on the costs, benefits and efficacy of sanitation that have led to current recommendations and regulations. Sanitation is essential for the cost-effective pest management of stored-product insects. The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tightening regulatory standards, and many local surveys, courses and conferences were organized to prepare the industry for these new regulations. Sanitation removes insects and residual food, which may also provide shelter for insects, with heat treatments and insecticide applications. The number of insects removed by cleaning may be reduced as the number of available hiding places increases. Decreased sanitation negatively affects the efficacy of most other pest management practices, with means of 1.3- to 17-fold decreases in efficacy. The majority of studies quantifying the efficacy of sanitation have been performed on the farm storage of grain, but some studies have been conducted for grain elevators, food processing, and the marketing system. Results ranged from no effect of sanitation alone to very effective alone or with other methods. Sanitation can also reduce insect infestation prior to harvest. Some cost–benefit analyses have been conducted for sanitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diversity is a reality in our societies, requiring health professionals to adapt to the unique needs of all patients, including migrants and ethnic minorities. In order to enable health professionals to meet related challenges and reduce health disparities, long and demanding training courses have been developed. But due to busy schedules of professionals and often scarce resources, a need for shorter training courses exists. This study aims to investigate which topics and methods should be prioritised in designing basic diversity training courses that provide health professionals the opportunity to foster this competence. Methods: The study provided an expert panel of 31 academic and clinical migrant health experts with the content and methods of an existing diversity training course. The panel was asked to prioritise training topics and teaching methods in a two-stage process, using an adapted Delphi method. In the first stage, experts rated 96 predefined items, commented on those items, provided answers to eight open-ended questions and suggested additional content for a short course. In the second stage, they commented on the ratings from Round 1, and rated new suggested content. Consensus for training topics was set to 80% and for teaching methods 70%. Results: The entire panel deemed 'health effects of migration (pre-, during- and post-migration risk factors)' to be important or very important to include in a short/online, basic diversity training (100% consensus). Other high-scoring items and therefore topics to be included in trainings were 'social determinants of health' (97%) and 'discrimination within the healthcare sector' (also 97%). A general trend was to focus on reflective practice since almost all items regarding reflection reached consensus. 'Reflection on own stereotypes and prejudices' (97%) was the highest-rated reflection item. 'Opportunities and best practices in working with interpreters' was the highest-scoring skills item, both on consensus (96%) and mean value (5.77). Conclusions: Experts' prioritizations of teaching content and methods for diversity training can help the design of short (online) trainings for health professionals and reduce unnecessary course content, thereby fostering professional development and enabling diversity competence trainings to be implemented also when time and/or financial resources are limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Ministry of Health - Uganda implemented the World Health Organization's Basic Emergency Care course (BEC11 Basic Emergency Care course) to improve formal emergency care training and address its high burden of acute illness and injury. The BEC is an open-access, in-person, short course that provides comprehensive basic emergency training in low-resource settings. A free, open-access series of pre-course online cases available as downloadable offline files were developed to improve knowledge acquisition and retention. We evaluated BEC participants’ knowledge and self-efficacy in emergency care provision with and without these cases and their perceptions of the cases. Methods: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs22 Multiple Choice Questions) and Likert-scale surveys assessed 137 providers’ knowledge and self-efficacy in emergency care provision, respectively, and focus group discussions explored 74 providers’ perceptions of the BEC course with cases in Kampala in this prospective, controlled study. Data was collected pre-BEC, post-BEC and six-months post-BEC. We used liability analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficients to establish intercorrelation between categorised Likert-scale items. We used mixed model analysis of variance to interpret Likert-scale and MCQ data and thematic content analysis to explore focus group discussions. Results: Participants gained and maintained significant increases in MCQ averages (15%) and Likert-scale scores over time (p < 0.001). The intervention group scored significantly higher on the pre-test MCQ than controls (p = 0.004) and insignificantly higher at all other times (p > 0.05). Nurses experienced more significant initial gains and long-term decays in MCQ and self-efficacy than doctors (p = 0.009, p < 0.05). Providers found the cases most useful pre-BEC to preview course content but did not revisit them post-course. Technological difficulties and internet costs limited case usage. Conclusion: Basic emergency care courses for low-resource settings can increase frontline providers’ long-term knowledge and self-efficacy in emergency care. Nurses experienced greater initial gains and long-term losses in knowledge than doctors. Online adjuncts may enhance health professional education in low-to-middle income countries.

• Short courses may address a significant gap in health worker training in basic emergency care in Sub-Saharan Africa. • Online open educational resources could enhance healthcare worker education in Sub-Saharan Africa as Internet access expands and costs decrease. • Nurses and doctors show differential knowledge retention in blended short courses that may require targeted educational strategies. The Ministry of Health - Uganda implemented the World Health Organization's Basic Emergency Care course (BEC 1 1 Basic Emergency Care course) to improve formal emergency care training and address its high burden of acute illness and injury. The BEC is an open-access, in-person, short course that provides comprehensive basic emergency training in low-resource settings. A free, open-access series of pre-course online cases available as downloadable offline files were developed to improve knowledge acquisition and retention. We evaluated BEC participants' knowledge and self-efficacy in emergency care provision with and without these cases and their perceptions of the cases. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs 2 2 Multiple Choice Questions) and Likert-scale surveys assessed 137 providers' knowledge and self-efficacy in emergency care provision, respectively, and focus group discussions explored 74 providers' perceptions of the BEC course with cases in Kampala in this prospective, controlled study. Data was collected pre-BEC, post-BEC and six-months post-BEC. We used liability analysis and Cronbach alpha coefficients to establish intercorrelation between categorised Likert-scale items. We used mixed model analysis of variance to interpret Likert-scale and MCQ data and thematic content analysis to explore focus group discussions. Participants gained and maintained significant increases in MCQ averages (15%) and Likert-scale scores over time (p < 0.001). The intervention group scored significantly higher on the pre-test MCQ than controls (p = 0.004) and insignificantly higher at all other times (p > 0.05). Nurses experienced more significant initial gains and long-term decays in MCQ and self-efficacy than doctors (p = 0.009, p < 0.05). Providers found the cases most useful pre-BEC to preview course content but did not revisit them post-course. Technological difficulties and internet costs limited case usage. Basic emergency care courses for low-resource settings can increase frontline providers' long-term knowledge and self-efficacy in emergency care. Nurses experienced greater initial gains and long-term losses in knowledge than doctors. Online adjuncts may enhance health professional education in low-to-middle income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reviews his experiences teaching chemometrics for 25+ years, primarily in short course format. Teaching to live classes and also via remote learning are discussed. Challenges to learning are elucidated. Tips for successful classes are shared. The author reviews his 25+ years of teaching chemometrics short courses and gives tips for presenting effective classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro-credentialing is rapidly growing globally as learning that is both life-long and life-wide and this has only accelerated due to COVID-19. To understand what this means for higher education, The Australasian Council on Open, Distance and eLearning has conducted two surveys on the implementation and practice of micro-credentialing in the Australasian sector. With the surveys conducted a year apart, before and after the pandemic, significant changes are noted in the delivery of learning. The results show an increased interest and intention in rolling out micro-credentials, as evidenced, particularly, in work undertaken at the policy level. However, in relation to actual implementation and practice, there is still a lot of work yet to be done. What is evidenced, in the results, is that this form of credentialing will continue to grow rapidly. Higher education institutions are investing in infrastructure and establishing working groups that are placing a governance model for micro-credentials in universities, while ensuring dedicated resourcing is channeled to this endeavour. Moving forward institutions will require significant planning and coordinated delivery at both at the local and global level, if the potential benefits of implementing micro-credentialing, such as portability and stackability over time, are to be realised.Implications for practice or policy:Universities can use this data to plan their implementation of micro-credentialsPolicy makers and regulators can use this information to monitor this field in higher education

Micro-credentialing is rapidly growing globally as learning that is both life-long and lifewide and this has only accelerated due to COVID-19. To understand what this means for higher education, The Australasian Council on Open, Distance and eLearning has conducted two surveys on the implementation and practice of micro-credentialing in the Australasian sector. With the surveys conducted a year apart, before and after the pandemic, significant changes are noted in the delivery of learning. The results show an increased interest and intention in rolling out micro-credentials, as evidenced, particularly, in work undertaken at the policy level. However, in relation to actual implementation and practice, there is still a lot of work yet to be done. What is evidenced, in the results, is that this form of credentialing will continue to grow rapidly. Higher education institutions are investing in infrastructure and establishing working groups that are placing a governance model for micro-credentials in universities, while ensuring dedicated resourcing is channeled to this endeavour. Moving forward institutions will require significant planning and coordinated delivery at both at the local and global level, if the potential benefits of implementing micro-credentialing, such as portability and stackability over time, are to be realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable progress that has been made in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of respiratory tract infections, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a fairly common disease [1-3] that continues to have the status of the leading infectious cause of death in modern humans and claims more lives each year than tuberculosis, meningitis, AIDS and infective endocarditis taken all together [4]. In this case, it is evident that clinical guidelines stating, among other things, approaches to the rational empirical antibacterial therapy (ABT) of the disease are the most effective measures in achieving better outcomes of CAP [5–8]. However, the issue of determining the optimal duration of ABT remains a subject of lively discussions (Table. 1). It is important to note here that the clinical stability of patients with EP can be achieved in most cases during the first 3–5 days of empirical ABT, and it is a rare occasion when the need for long-term prescription of antibiotics arises [12].

The Canadian National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) redesigned its coaching education programmes to utilise a learner-centred, problem-based approach. The purpose of this paper is to document the design, delivery, and subjective assessment of this large-scale coach education programme through the perspectives of the different actors, with a special focus on the coach developers (CDs) as an essential and important group within the coach education system. A constructivist view of learning, supported by the work of Jennifer Moon on the impact of short courses and workshops, guided this work. Part 1 of the results provides an overview of the studies conducted on the revised NCCP. Part 2 examines the perspectives of 26 CDs concerning their training and experiences delivering the redesigned NCCP. Conclusions include the importance of considering the cognitive structures of the CDs and coach learners; issues related to covering the module content versus addressing coaches' learning needs; ensuring adequate time for questions and reflection to enable deep learning; specific training for CDs to support post-workshop learning; and the importance of taking a systems approach to coach development that considers all the actors involved in a national programme being delivered at the provincial/territorial or sport organisational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on survey data from over 400 faculty members who taught short-term study abroad courses, the purpose of this study was to identify the types of goals that faculty members have in teaching short-term study abroad courses and the relationship between faculty background characteristics (i.e., race, gender, discipline, and prior experience) and their teaching goals. By further understanding the goals that these faculty members have for their study abroad programs, we are better able to assess how these programs may or may not be meeting overall internationalization goals and then to use this information to assist faculty members and higher education administrators in finding ways to further align study abroad goals with the broader goals of international education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • BIOPRO World Talent Campus and its organisational structure introduced. • The technical program and participants selection criteria of WTC are discussed in detail. • The unique 48 h industrial challenge is discussed. • Student feedback is analysed through detailed surveys and personal statements. • The motivation for organising BIOPRO World talent campus is discussed togehter with participent selection criteria. • The general and technical program is introduced. Abstract Focus on sustainable processes and renewable raw materials, combined with rapid advancements in technology developments across scales, makes bio-based production processes a subject of great interest to both industry and academia. Despite this increasing prominence of bio-based production processes, there is a lack of a single course that can provide a thorough overview of the state-of-the-art industrial scale bio-based production, to early stage practitioners and researchers such as post-graduate students. BIOPRO World Talent Campus (WTC), developed and initiated in the year 2013 by the BIOPRO Strategic research consortium, was specifically designed and developed to address this shortcoming, and has thus far trained more than 120 post-graduate students from related yet diverse academic backgrounds from all across the globe. This manuscript describes the general and technical organisation of BIOPRO WTC, and the unique academic and industrial collaboration that exists in Denmark, which makes WTC a reality. A special focus is also placed on discussing a 48 h industrial challenge that is set by leading Danish bio-based production companies and its impact on young post-graduate students, who get hands on experience in dealing with "real world" problems. Results from student surveys carried out during the five years of WTC are reported and discussed to understand the impact of the course. A future perspective is also presented with the focus on the possibility of employing emerging technologies to extend the outreach of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research evidence on what makes CPD effective is accumulating. Yet, fundamental questions about the specific features that lead to programme success. Furthermore, very little research investigates the nature and quality of CPD providers' (tutors) practices. Taking a closer look at how CPD providers support teachers to learn is therefore an important direction for research in order to offer specific guidance on how to design and deliver future CPD programmes for maximum impact. Purpose: The present study aimed to advance this line of inquiry by seeking to examine tutors' perceptions and practices in the context of a short course on Inclusive Physical Education. Two research questions were addressed: (1) What were the tutors' perceptions of effective CPD delivery? And (2) How were these interpretations evidenced in practice? The short course, delivered by 40 different tutors across the country, was part of a National CPD programme which reached and educated over 5000 school staff in England. The scale of this programme thus offered an ideal setting in which to address the research questions. Participants and setting: A case study design was adopted where the case was identified at the level of individual courses. A cluster sampling procedure was adopted (one cluster for each of the nine geographical areas in England). Where possible, systematic sampling within the nine clusters was employed (i.e. collect evidence from the first two courses delivered in each cluster each year). A total of 27 courses, delivered by 20 tutors across eight geographical areas in England, were selected as cases and all tutors involved in their delivery were invited to participate in the study. Data collection: To explore tutors' perceptions of effective CPD delivery (research question 1), qualitative data were collected via an online questionnaire and individual interviews. To examine how these interpretations were evidenced in practice (research question 2), both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via systematic observations and ethnographic field notes. Data analysis: Qualitative data were analysed using a constructivist approach to grounded theory. Quantitative data from the observations were entered into SPSS version 21 (IBM Statistics) for analysis. Findings: Findings indicate that tutors' perceptions and beliefs did not always materialise. Data from the observations suggest variation in the ways tutors structured, supported and facilitated professional learning. This variation was evident not only in the actual time dedicated to practical vs. theoretical activities and active vs. passive learning opportunities but also in tutors' ability to facilitate professional learning. This finding suggests that there is a significant set of skills involved in supporting, nurturing and challenging professional learning in CPD contexts. It is therefore important to consider how tutors can be best supported to develop and implement these skills effectively. Conclusion: The results consolidate existing understandings about the importance of (inter)active and practical learning opportunities in CPD; but also add nuance and detail on the diverse ways in which tutors engaged participants in the learning process. Findings draw our attention to the important issue of the selection and continuing education of CPD tutors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main prerequisites for creation of automated control systems for short-term courses of qualification upgrading are analyzed in this article. Also main tasks for the system are considered, the system structure are given. Some issues on its realization are considered as well.

Background: A strong evidence base for cognitive behavioural therapy has led to CBT models becoming available within mainstream mental health services. As the concept of stepped care develops, new less intensive mental health interventions such as guided self-help are emerging, delivered by staff not trained to the level of accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapists. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine how mental health staff evaluated the usefulness of a short training programme in CBT concepts, models and techniques for routine clinical practice. Method: A cohort of mental health staff (n = 102) completed pre- and posttraining self-report questionnaires measuring trainee perceptions of the impact of a short training programme on knowledge and skills. Mentors and managers were also asked to comment on perceived impact of the training. Results: Trainees and mentors reported perceived gains in knowledge and skills posttraining and at 1-year follow-up. Managers and trainees reported perceived improvements in skills and practice. Conclusion: A short Cognitive Behavioural skills programme can enable mental health staff to integrate basic CB knowledge and skills into routine clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this paper is to present the organization and implementation of an immersion course in Spanish as a foreign language (SFL) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) of Australia, and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ), Bogota, Colombia. The course was conducted over two weeks in November 2012, and 10 Australian students participated. We present the experience and its results, among which we highlight the improvement in communicative competences, as well as cultural and intercultural competences of students, especially for having worked aspects intrinsically related such as language and culture. It is concluded that this type of courses allow a greater linguistic development and an invaluable cultural and intercultural learning for students that are in the acquisition process of the so called intercultural communicative competence [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linked to teaching and scientific research, academic extension is the educational, cultural and scientific process that enables the transforming relation between university and society. Scientific extension activities play a major role in the process of scientific communication, promoting the development of science, as well as work in human resource improvement and qualification. We present the experience report about the organization of BioVertentes, describing the results achieved and the assessment done by the participants thought the analysis of anonymous questionnaires completed by them. The event took place in the Jorge Amado University Center, in Salvador (Bahia state), between March and April 2011, in which participated more than 300 peoples. Seven short courses, with six hours each, were offered. Those who were interested in take part in the event should donate non-perishable food, which was donated to charity. Overall, the event was well rated by the public; for future editions, some aspects, such as disclosure, support, sponsorship and speakers, may be improved, aiming to make this an annual academic institutional event, opened to students and professionals of the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistics.com stands at the intersection of two current trends: (1) an acute shortage of analytic and statistics skills in the labor force and (2) a blossoming of different models for online delivery of higher education. A recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute forecasts a current and continuing shortfall of 140,000-190,000 workers with 'deep analytical skills'. The skills referred to are in the area of statistics, data mining, and machine learning. Also in the news have been recent ventures by Stanford and other premier universities to offer high-quality free courses in this area to massive audiences in excess of 100,000. Statistics.com has been building an online program in these subjects since 2002, and now offers 100-plus online 4-week courses, relying on an extensive faculty of expert statisticians, and a mixture of traditional and innovative approaches. WIREs Comput Stat 2012, 4:513-517. doi: 10.1002/wics.1225 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores opportunities for regional universities to develop specific short courses that young travellers could undertake as part of a holiday experience. The Cairns campus of James Cook University was chosen as a representative of a regional university since the campus is located in a destination that attracts a large number of international and domestic youth travellers. Research objectives include investigating the potential demand for diverse short courses; to identify which factors influence respondents' decisions to undertake further studies and to evaluate factors that may encourage or discourage respondents from studying in Cairns. Results indicate that 35% of respondents would possibly consider undertaking a short course in Cairns in the future with a preference for shorter courses for either academic credit or personal interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural biotechnology is expanding around the world, but societal acceptance remains an important issue. Michigan State University (MSU) has developed and implemented an agricultural biotechnology short course for developing countries. Four courses were taught to regional groups in 2002-2003 and eight more were taught to geographically diverse groups in 2004-2008. One half day of each course was devoted to issues related to biotechnology acceptance. The participants discussed the pro-GM and anti-GM forces in their countries. Scientists were the top ranked pro-GM force and information was the top anti-GM force. Regional differences were found between forces such as food security and economics. Possible temporal differences included a rising influence of farmers on the pro-GM side and a falling influence of environmental NGOs on the anti-GM side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I share my experience and reflections about my work developed during more than twelve years with family parents within several scholar institutions and in community centers for to impulse the familiar education. I started granting talks and conferences on topics what they asked me, but in despite of their interest they showed, it did not achieve an enthusiastic participation of good part of audience. This took me to look for another more didactic alternatives and to use more active methodologies until to discover the formative possibilities of the workshops complemented with tutorial support. In this way, parents think about their specific situation and they find answers, almost always grow up of themselves, to the related problems with familiar interaction and their son's education; they fix goals and objectives for to improvement and they receive advice and sugestions to follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a variety of reasons, short courses and workshops often have no impact on workplace practice and are, therefore, a waste of money. The notion of "impact" on work practice is introduced, and it provides a focus toward which all elements on a short course should contribute (including the administrative processes). This article discusses the distinction between teaching and learning and some variables about the quality of the learning process that should be taken into account: the approach the learner takes and the learner's stage of conception of the structure of knowledge. The support of good-quality learning is a principal attribute of good teaching, and the nature of good teaching is discussed on this basis. Teaching and learning in a short course can usefully be structured by a framework to improve the impact of short courses and workshops. This also provides a structure for reflective activities. This article briefly discusses the definition of reflection and considers how it might be implemented. Finally, as another tactic in the focusing on impact, the components of short courses are analyzed on the basis that every component needs to work toward the improvement of the impact of the course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Health professionals are finding it increasingly hard to attend Continuing Professional Development (CPD) that involve time away from work. Short CPD courses offered as eLearning can help meet the flexible needs of these busy professionals. Framework and guidelines for developing these courses is lacking. This article aims to provide readers with practical advice based on the author's personal experiences and the literature available to help course developers construct an engaging course for this specific audience. Tips are offered from the initial scoping exercise, to developing the course, carefully considering the specific differentiation and technical support that is required for developing online learning activities and assessments compared to face to face CPD courses for a diverse range of learners., (Copyright: © 2019 Mealey E.)