Advanced course

Available under Creative Commons-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Date of latest course: 18–19 June 2014

Number of participants: 105

Number of responses: 81

Comparatively, both courses performed satisfactorily, because all recorded mean values were above 2.10. Thus, at least 70% of the participants are satisfied with the services provided. Only a few dimensions require improvement, especially in terms of speaker presentation skills. Two presenters from the advanced course received a slightly lower score (mean=2.10, mean=2.19) compared with the other trainers. Thus, the organizer plans to replace the speakers with new appointed individuals who have more credibility. Good assessments from the participants are rather unexpected and can be attributed to with the module prepared by the organizers. Notably, the developed modules are highly related to the indispensable aspects of housing development, such as location, marketing, financial management, and product enhancement. Interestingly, Jaafar et al.  1 reported similar dimensions of findings for Malaysian homebuilders in terms of considering the preceding elements to succeed in this area. Given these facts, Banomyong and Supatne  2 emphasize the magnitude of networking (shall be elicited from short courses/trainings), and highlight that residential developers should jointly possess know-how and know-who to remain competitive.

Short courses are undoubtedly suitable for businesses because entrepreneurs have difficulty in fully committing their time for a long period of study 3. Indeed, the courses elicited positive comments from participants. Based on the open-ended question enclosed in the feedback form, a number of positive suggestions were made such as, ‘...very good in terms of course module, though inadequate time provided,’ ‘...the capability to insert a slot on innovation is laudable...’ and ‘an enjoyable course with relevant contents...’ The positive responses were demarcated, and several participants from the introductory course look forward to attending the advanced course. Moreover, a few responses provided some suggestions for improvement, especially in terms of module development. A significant number of participants recommended a site visit/case study and experience-sharing session, as well as additional slots on marketing and finance to be included in the next courses. Notwithstanding the constructive remarks from participants, the courses need to undergo some modifications to further improve the content and methods of presentation. Pragmatically, both courses have successfully bridged the gap between theory and practice.