Foster, for the guidance and instruction I have received that has helped me navigate this process. I also extend my abiding gratitude to my wife and six children who have made many sacrifices themselves so that I may pursue theological education for the service of God's church and the glory of King Jesus.
INTRODUCTION
The intended purpose of this project was to identify best practices in spiritual formation in the context of distance post-secondary seminary competency-based theological education. After a review of the literature, a clear gap exists regarding spiritual formation in the context of distance competency-based seminary education.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Paul House advocates a return to spiritual formation and face-to-face interaction in the context of seminary training. In order to discover the best practices of spiritual formation in the context of CBTE, a Delphi study was conducted to determine consensus among experts. The consensus discovered in this Delphi study was used as a basis for discovering best practices for spiritual formation in the context of CBTE at the distance seminar level.
From this analysis, conclusions were drawn regarding the answers to the research questions regarding best practices for spiritual formation in the context of seminary-level distance CBTE programs. Using the Delphi method, this research sought to find consensus among experts about the best practices of spiritual formation in the context of CBTE. This research explored best practices for spiritual formation in the context of competency-based theological education at distance seminary level (CBTE) as.
Make students understand that the seminary is a place for development, also in the context of spiritual formation.
CONCLUSIONS
Assignments reinforce the student's context (work, home, faith community) as the primary place where spiritual formation occurs. Adapt to the needs of the student throughout the life of their CBTE program in relation to spiritual formation. In relation to assessment, several practitioners spoke of assessing spiritual formation in a CBTE modality.
As the panel agreed, a spiritual formation curriculum needs to be developed to be evaluated in the context of the mentoring relationship. This first-of-its-kind study considered spiritual formation in the context of distance seminary-level competency-based theological education.
QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Students are assigned a mentor team that is specifically responsible for the student throughout the entire course. Students are provided with at least one mentor who is specifically responsible for the spiritual formation of the student throughout the program. Students are provided with a team in which all members are partially involved in spiritual formation at some level, regardless of the mentor's specific area of responsibility 5.
Mentors regularly encourage students to consider the impact of learning on spiritual formation by asking questions. Students develop personal goals regarding spiritual formation in connection with their CBTE program.
QUESTIONNAIRE
Students receive a team in which all members are partially engaged in spiritual formation at some level, regardless of the mentor's specific area of responsibility. Learning outcomes are tailored to the student's personal or church context Student-Student and Mentor-Student.
Adaptation to the student's needs throughout the life of their CBTE program regarding
ROUND 1 RESPONSES
How specifically, can a CBTE program develop practical protocols for creating learning environments which encourage and support intentional
Request these interactions as part of the program (our program requires a minimum of 1 meeting per month with the professor, and each mentor in a virtual format, i.e. Zoom). Mentors and Professor meet together at the end of the competency with the student (virtually) to point out strengths and areas for growth.” Creating learning environments that encourage and support teacher/student interactions requires placing these interactions at the forefront of the educational model.
The metaphor of creating space is not entirely abstract; in my own practice I think of the work of Paulo Freire and other critical pedagogies. For them, both teacher and student adopt an attitude of learning and the purpose of learning is to help the student develop his/her own understanding of self and context.
How specifically, can a CBTE program develop practical protocols for creating learning environments which encourage and support spiritual formation
I like to connect the student with spiritual formation resources and experiences in their local context. The professor and mentors ask for specific prayer requests from the student and actually spend time praying for God's work in the student's life (leaders need to understand that spiritual growth is God's work and we participate in it by praying for the student) 2. If a student is required to develop a sermon, include as part of the assignment a personal reflection piece where the student evaluates his/her life based on the implications of the biblical text.
Each mentor has strengths/areas of competence related to the student's individual needs – including this one. Rather than viewing spiritual formation as completely separate from, say, Bible studies, I view my task as helping the student see the ways in which they intersect and overlap.
How specifically, can a CBTE program develop strategies to facilitate the creation of positive student to student interactions in a non-residential,
At SFS we do have one outlet dedicated to spiritual formation; however, to develop well-rounded graduates, I encourage students to begin with this outcome and continue the practices throughout the program. Promoting this is crucial and I don't assume for a moment that it will happen without facilitation on my part as the manager of the program. We did try student-run cohorts, and some of these formed naturally as students were in churches in the same region of the province, but our random formations didn't always take off.
Central churches have the ability to create this by having multiple staff members go through the program. We have created Facebook-type group groups--but this is difficult because students move at different rates and no longer stay in the same content areas.
How specifically, can a CBTE program develop strategies to facilitate the creation of positive teacher/mentor to student interactions in a non-residential,
Still, the process of making connections with other students feels a bit random or knowing. I wonder if we could get Pathwright up and running, would there be a way to see which other students are working on a particular module or learning objective, and provide a way for them to communicate with each other. Build on-site intensives or smaller group units into the program using video conferencing technology.
By establishing a mentoring relationship through the faculty mentor, who requires the inclusion of other mentors in the evaluation group. The teacher/mentor must know the expectations of the program and have access to their mentors and training materials.
How specifically, can a CBTE program develop strategies to facilitate the creation of positive student to teacher/mentor interactions in a non-residential,
A combination of ahead-of-time training in adult learning and coaching techniques and real-time instruction as the mentor works with their student. While the academic mentor can provide timely coaching, it may be helpful to have a third party who is not part of the mentoring team available for this (in case the academic mentor is the problem). I'm not sure this is another question - other than adding "for spiritual formation" above.
Some students enter the program expecting that all their beliefs will simply be confirmed; while this is an important part of education, it is also important to push beyond what is already known about the purpose of growth. Therefore, early interactions can help prepare the student for the active role they will take - which is very different from the (relative) passivity they may have been accustomed to in previous educational settings.
How specifically, can a CBTE program develop learning experiences or assignments related to spiritual formation for non-residency, competency-based
Students clearly understand their role in the adult learning/coaching relationship before they begin, complete with further. At the same time, however, early interactions with administrators should prepare students to be challenged and pushed. I find it important to identify the student's growing advantage in the area of spiritual formation.
To be clear, no one develops spiritually beyond their baptism, because you do not have a free will in the matter of salvation. Right now this is mostly limited to the case study presentation, but in the future I believe further options can be explored - even if we use short form presentation styles like pecha kucha.
How specifically, can CBTE programs develop methods for educators to assess spiritual formation in a non-residential, competency-based learning
A basic understanding that the seminar is a safe place for the student to identify their difficulties, weaknesses and inabilities in certain character and theoretical disciplines is also essential. Our first competency deals specifically with this and provides a foundation for the student to grow in consciousness as they grow in the knowledge of God). People who are in student life should contribute to the holistic understanding of the student (point out blind spots).
His insights helped us design a new benchmark for the student to achieve, so the program addressed this damaging error that I was unable to spot in his final part of the assignment. The student wasn't trying to hide anything, it was truly a blind spot that he couldn't see in his life.
What are other specific areas that do not fit any of the general
Learning how to assess your own spiritual health, I believe, is a skill in itself and demonstrates a certain maturity on the part of the individual. The erroneous assumption is that spiritual formation is something that takes place outside the immediate event of hearing the Word of God. So all results in spiritual formation must include a direct proclamation of the Word into the student's ear (faith comes by hearing).
Areas I would include in spiritual formation are preaching, biblical studies and exegesis, understanding the role and proper administration of the sacraments. I believe that interaction across lines of difference is important for spiritual formation and can be more difficult in CBTE, especially when done online.
RATIONAL FOR REMAINING OUTSIDE OF CONSENSUS
For example, if a student is a chaplain at a long-term care center that requires the student to lead Sunday worship services several times a month, he often cannot be part of a local faith community. You can't make everything 'extremely important'. I found this point "very important". The difference is minimal. I find this kind of contact “very important”. Here, too, the difference is minimal.
If it was the sole responsibility of the student, I would have clicked "extremely important". Again, this is a change without much difference.'. I believe the guidelines should have noted a distinction between "extremely" and "a lot". You can't do everything "out of the box" and still maintain distinctions of responsibility within a program.
RATIONAL FOR REMAINING OUTSIDE OF CONSENSUS
Teaching Plan: Seminary Faculty Teaching Experiences and Spiritual Formation in an Online Environment." Doctoral Dissertation, Capella University, 2010. Best Practices in Online Undergraduate Spiritual Formation at Selected Institutions of Christian Higher Education: A Delphi Study." Doctoral Dissertation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2017. The Place of Spiritual Formation in the Context of Online Theological Education: A Faculty Perspective.” DMin Project, Azusa Pacific University, 2002.
The impact of intentional learning experiences for personal spiritual formation on Seminary students." Ph.D.
