Re-orientation and eating the elephant

I spent the day re-organising myself for PhD study. I prepared a three-page document to my supervisors to get things rolling again; the sections were progress to date, current thinking, proposed time line and issues and concerns.

I'm feeling extremely positive and organised, even though I know too well that much work awaits!

The following quesitons are guiding further reading from this point, and form the basis for my formal proposal (due in late September):

How is ‘distance education’ understood in theological education?

• What, if anything, is distinctive about distance education in the theological education context?
• What are the major themes of the literature in theological distance education?

What is the nature of theological education, that is, what is it attempting to bring about?

• What are the distinctive elements of theological education in contrast to non-sectarian education?
• What are the overall objectives for theological education? What are the implications for theological education at a distance?

What is Christian formation?

• How is formation portrayed in theological education contexts?
• What are the potential overlaps between everyday formation and formal education?

What does adult learning theory contribute to an understanding of spiritual formation?

• What does it mean to be ‘formed’ as an adult learner? How does this differ from being ‘formed’ as a Christian?
• What are the links between transformation as an adult learner, and formation as a Christian?

After an initial analysis for the formal proposal, I am considering whether a 'mini-essay' approach considering each of the questions above in, say 3,000 words might work to help get on top of the literature review. The best way to eat an elephant, I'm told, is one piece at a time! I've asked my supervisors for their thoughts in this approach. I am also considering enrolling in a post-graduate research methods paper next year at a distance. It has been recommended to me, and I know that it will be very useful for me later in the preparation of this thesis.

[Image "Elephant Bull 1" uploaded April 2, 2005 by Tambako the Jaguar]

Nearly back into it!

Well, it's nearly time to again pick up the books and journal articles... I have finished the draft for my last E-Primer and now await the peer review process.

I have already got an opportunity to speak to the upcoming NZATS event held at Laidlaw College next week, so that provides me with an excellent opportunity to familiarise myself again with the ley of the literature and get my juices flowing again. I've also been asked to contribute a paper relating to hybrid learning at Laidlaw College to the upcoming ATA conference in Malang, Indonesia (I am, regretfully, unable to attend). The connection is a good one though, as there is considerable interest in theological education at a distance within that group.

So, in the next few weeks this blog will again get traction... about time.

Distance education, surely, is the answer?

I have been enjoying Dr Geoff Pound's Theologians without borders and have been prompted to post on his latest entry relating to the Baptist International Conference on Theological Education (BICTE), held in Prague.

One issue raised is really one of simple economics:

• Supply outstrips demand in the West; seminaries are merging and closing.
  
• Demand outstrips supply in the Majority World; pastors go untrained.
  

The solution does seem rather simple... accessible distance education courses, perhaps facilitated through Western seminaries, coupled with a TEE-type model of delivery. Accessible media might include radio, print, fax, or Internet where it make sense. If a multi-national distance education seminary of excellent academic standard might be established, the benefits of centralised course production and maintenance, economies of scale and locally-nuanced delivery through local tutors would provide a high quality and cost-effective solution. It is possible to achieve, with careful planning and the right investment, the following in one neat institution:

• High-quality courses that consistently reflect the latest scholarship.
• A non-banking (Friere) distance education experience.
• A highly-qualified and tenured (committed) faculty,who are active researchers and contributing academics to course delivery.
• A constantly dynamic team of local tutors, well-supported and resourced.
• A flexible selection of media, chosen based on local conditions.
• Low (accessible) per course costs, based on economies of scale.
  

Such a BIG opportunity... part of the solution involves a visionary funding body, and the use of funds to develop an institution that does not rely on the charity or goodwill of busy academics so that longevity and consistency of service can be assured. Another part: overcoming the incredibly short-sighted and non-defensible notion that distance education is a second-rate option compared to the 'real thing'. Finally, partnerships with mission agencies - already well-represented globally - so that their work might be partnered with.

Any takers...?

What is distance education? DEANZ presentation

I finally got round to adding one of my DEANZ presentations, the one most relevant to my PhD ("What is distance education?"), up into my ePortfolio. One of the beautiful things about Mahara (the application used for my ePortfolio) is that you can create separate views... a larger version of the presentation (one that does not mess up my public ePortfolio) has been added to another public view.

It provides a useful means of distinguishing between different 'types' of distance education and so is a critical element of my thesis.

I welcome any thoughts or comments. I am progressing on E-Primer Four but my PhD will not be getting any more serious attention until about May 2009. In the meantime, the updated verisons of the previous three E-Primers are now available through Ako Aotearoa.

(Trans)formation: The critical difference

I have just emailed a draft of "Spiritual formation in distance education" to supervisors, outlining where my reading on the subject has taken me thus far. Here's the conclusion of the draft:

Spiritual formation is seen as a valid objective in all forms of adult education, however it is considered a necessary element of theological education. The apparent inability of distance education to provide a formative experience is one of the major objections to its use in theological education. However, recent theorists have been challenging the extent to which theological education in any context enhances formation. Further, the association of formation with the affective domain in theological education literature reveals a dualism out of step with the more holistic adult learning theory of transformation.

It is proposed in this study that distance education is capable of providing a transformative learning experience for students of theological education, and that this transformation subsumes the traditional understanding of formation. This shifts the debate of what it means to be formed through theological education, making this study very timely and ensuring that it will make a unique and valuable contribution to scholarship.

It has been an interesting draft to prepare, primarily because of the need to wrestle with the terminological differences between spiritual formation as a secular objective and Christian education as a theological objective. Also interesting has been the dualism of cognitive and affective outcomes apparent in much theological education literature, a dualism that seems untenable in light of adult transformation theory. This dualism, I am proposing, denies distacne educaiton a fair hearing when it comes to transofrmation of students.

So, the way ahead is clear. The road is well sign-posted. Problem is, I am taking a detour for a while... for the next six months my research will not be directly associated with my PhD. Instead, I am authoring the final two E-Primers in the series soon to be made available through Ako Aotearoa (see e-ako.blogspot.com).

So, signing off for a while...!

Boiling it down

I'm back into the PhD, after a relaxing holiday and a focus on preparing a PG presentation. As I prepare a full draft on the subject of formation (one of my three main focuses) I am struck by the fact that I know more about the subject than I can adequately write about, and that I have at my disposal far more quotations and perspectives at my disposal than I can possibly hope to include.

I've decided that this is a good thing.

When I lectured in business communications, I became acutely aware that a student's writing typically betrays the worth of their storehouse. In other words, students with far more to draw on than what they were able to include inevitably had a depth and richness to their writing that their lesser-informed peers did not. In other words, it's better to boil something down to concentrate than it is to water it down to provide volume.

So, at the moment I'm not merely writing, I'm boiling, bubbling over, surrounded by the cloudy fragrance of formational thought, mentally savouring the concentrated flavours that subtly blend into a mouth-watering read...

At least, I hope so!

Great reading from Bates (2005) on definitions, and Anderson (2007, in Theological Education) on the InMinistry programme and associated distance education-style technique... plenty to, err, chew on and throw into the mix of authors already cited!

A presentation - where I'm at for now

I presented this (AVI, 10MB) at last Friday's PG symposium held at Carey College, uploaded in AVI format in my ePortfolio. The session went very well and gave rise to some excellent questions, many of which are already addressed well enough in the literature I've read but not included directly in the presentation. I'm happy to respond to comments to this post and welcome further dialogue on thinking so far!