The Online, Asynchronous, Accelerated, Compressed, Modular, Standardized, and Adult Undergraduate Course in Biblical Studies (original) (raw)
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Teaching Theology & Religion, 2012
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Is There a Bible in This Class? Rethinking Biblical Studies with Jonathan Z. Smith
Annali di Storia dell’Esegesi, 2020
Published in Annali di Storia dell’Esegesi 37/2 (2020), 471-503. The main goal of this paper is to show how Smith’s theoretical and methodological reflection on the study of religion cannot be properly understood without considering his keen interest in Bible materials and his frequent incursions into minefield of biblical scholarship. After sketching out a portrait of Smith as a reader, and then as a teacher, of “the Bible,” the analysis will focus on his methodological principle of “taking the Bible as an example.” This will pave the way for a critical re-assessment of Smith’s ideas about the academic study of religion, as well as for some general remarks on the place and role of biblical studies in the fragmented landscape of 21st-century higher education.
Teaching Theology & Religion, 2007
Reformed Theological Seminary's Virtual Campus has successfully taught the biblical languages online since 1999. This article describes the theoretical principles that underlie the design and asynchronous delivery of online Greek and Hebrew to part-time adult distance students. The structure and administration of the courses is discussed, as well as how the students interact with their instructor and with the material. The fields of Adult Education, Learner Autonomy, and Distance Education suggest that online students must learn differently than traditional in-class students by being more responsible for their learning. Research also suggests that online instructors must teach differently, assuming a role more like a learning coach. Finally, the literature suggests that institutions must interact with distance students differently than traditional in-class students. The article concludes with a definition of "success" in these courses and description of the time commitment expected of faculty in these courses.
Michael Olajide ECWA Theo. Seminary Igbaja TEA Conference (May 2013) 1
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2014
Both adult and traditional students at Indiana Wesleyan University take an introductory New Testament course in conventional, compressed, and accelerated formats and through online and onsite settings. This wide variety of demographics and modalities raises the issues of if and how the various incarnations of this course facilitate the achievement of course and institutional learning outcomes. This investigation surveys the pre-test, post-test, and final paper scores of students in each version of the course. An interpretation of the findings concludes that the course positively impacts the learning of all types of students. However, it also suggests that traditional students who are more familiar with the Bible may be better served by what are typically deemed andragogical approaches while adult students who are less familiar with the Bible may be better served by incorporating what are often deemed pedagogical approaches.
Teaching Theology and Religion, 2000
After laying a theoretical basis for an active learning orientation in the classroom, the co-authors describe methods they developed to evaluate active learning in two different settings of introductory courses in biblical studies. They argue that honoring diverse learning and communication styles among students does not need to compromise academic rigor. The authors show how portfolio-based assessment of student learning allows students a range of ways to demonstrate their mastery of the material. Examples are provided of components of student portfolios from their undergraduate classes.