Purpose - The paper aims to define the mission, characteristics, objectives and evaluation processes concerning a specific training seminar entitled "Business administration for public sector executives". Furthermore, the research intends to underline the evaluation criteria, set by trainees and training officers as necessary in order to maximize the seminar's overall impact on all those involved.Design/methodology/approach - The seminar was organized by the University of Athens, Greece, in order to contribute to the continuing education of public sector executives in the field of business administration. The educational methodology was based on adult education principles and the evaluation included the preparation, development, and delivery phases. The seminar's effectiveness was assessed based on predetermined criteria and parameters using methods such as questionnaires, comments, observation and team discussions. Finding - Through this process the seminar's strengths and weaknesses were revealed by making use of quantitative analysis methodological tools, such as statistics and econometric prototypes. The trainees' overall response to the seminar was "measured" and the results proved the high-calibre structure and content of the seminar sessions. The trainees stated that the seminar offered key essential knowledge and aided in skill development; furthermore, they expressed their willingness to attend further lifelong-learning seminars. Practical implications - The criteria set forth by trainees and training officers alike could pave the way for a new approach to lifelong learning/training seminar design, implementation, and evaluation in the short-term future. Originality/value - The paper highlights the assessment criteria that offer meaningful insight into the participants' perceived level of seminar-related satisfaction and can potentially be utilised for the design of future seminars. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Introduction: The adoption of e-learning platforms can offer a number of benefits including greater learning flexibility in several arenas including healthcare. The present study aims to explore the perceptions of healthcare postgraduate students regarding the adaptability of e-learning and Web-based courses. Methods: The research was based on the four dimensions of the Technology Acceptance Model, i.e. Perceived usefulness, Perceived ease of use, Attitude towards use and Behavioural intention. A questionnaire covering these 4 dimensions was created, uploaded on a website and the 39 MSc students enrolled in the Healthcare Management and Health Informatics at the Faculty of Nursing, University of Athens, Greece, invited to complete it. Completed questionnaires were analysed using Partial Least Squares and other statistical techniques. Results: A total of 20 questionnaires were fully completed. Analysis of the results demonstrated that postgraduate students appreciate and perceive usefulness and ease of use as key factors towards using e-learning platforms and online courses. Conclusion: The study has a number of limitations including the small sample size. For that reason, we conducted a downsized modeling scenario in order to produce observations and compare results, in terms of validity. Nevertheless despite these limitations, the current study can be useful in helping to guide the development and implementation of e-learning initiatives. © The Journal on Information Technology in Healthcare 2009.