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Catalogue: MinicoursesMinicourses
A minicourse is a course that meets for an intense weekend of classes. Typically a minicourse involves 11 to 12 classroom hours (this is about 1/4 of the 45 to 48 hours that are typical of a one-semester course at most universities, and about 1/3 of the 30 in-class hours typical of universities on the quarter system). Because minicourses are structured like short university courses, they have many of the features of university courses, including homework assignments and a closing evaluation assignment.
1. Prestudy. Wilmette Institute minicourses usually begin with two weeks of reading that must be completed before class to prepare the student for lectures and discussion.
2. Poststudy. Wilmette Institute minicourses usually include four or five weeks of reading and a learning project to complete after the classes end. Some Wilmette Institute minicourses may include a listserver, web site, and conference calls, depending on the faculty members (see descriptions under distance learning courses above).
3. Payment and Refund Policies. Because the heart of a minicourse is an intensive weekend of classes, payment must be made in full before the weekend begins. No refund normally is possible. Auditors must pay the full price.
4. Faculty. Most minicourses are taught by a single faculty member to minimize transportation and accommodation expenses.
5. Places Where Minicourses are Held. The Wilmette Institute is willing to hold minicourses anywhere local logistical support is available. Logistical support must include a facility where classes can be conveniently held; systematic publicity to guarantee adequate student registration and attendance; a registrar to register students, collect tuition fees, and send the registration information and tuition fees to the Institute; someone to assist the faculty member to get to the class and make sure he or she has accommodations; and someone to coordinate devotions, refreshments, and other essential support services for the course. Generally such logistical support is provided through a local or regional training institute or at a permanent school.
Availability of College Credit, Financial Aid, Policy about Incomplete Work, and Evaluation of Learning Projects: see sections under "General Studies in the Bahá'í Faith Program" (see p. 41).
At the time of this writing, no minicourses are scheduled.