Faculty will meet at monthly seminars to support and develop courses for the new curriculum proposed for 2001. At the center of the new design is a commitment to the integration of theory and practice to develop spiritual leaders for the changing churches of the new century.
The funds from the Wabash grant enabled us to develop and implement our seminar on interdisciplinary and contextual pedagogy. By all measures the project has been successful. We have met the first three goals of the project: 1) To engage faculty in a collegial process of new course design for implementation of a new M.Div. curriculum; 2) To improve the teaching competency of the faculty focused particularly on contextualization and interdisciplinary teaching; 3) To facilitate faculty integration of theory and practice in the design and teaching of core courses in the ABSW M.Div. curriculum. We are continuing to work on the implementation of the remaining three goals which focus on evaluation and training. We are making good progress on the following: 1) To develop an evaluation process for monitoring faculty growth in teaching and course design; 2) To develop an evaluation process for newly designed contextual and interdisciplinary courses; 3) To institutionalize teacher training into the life of the ABSW faculty.
Educating the faculty through a conference and two consultants on the pedagogical issues of authentic dialogical engagement and reviewing/assessing the curriculum for its adherence to the 'interfaith'(Muslim/Christian) dialogue concept.
The project sought to reflect on the theory and practice of dialogue, within the context of inter-religious experience, with a goal of embedding this pedagogical process into the curriculum. Through a conference of seminary representatives who are most involved in diversity and dialogue, along with a faculty retreat, they hoped to ensure that a broad understanding of dialogue would become an integral part of all their degree programs.
Organizers confirm that the grant "facilitated a key and defining theme for the Seminary." Activities included a conference of nineteen professors, all engaged in teaching inter-religious dialogue, a retreat with faculty facilitated by outside consultants, and a conference on the topic of "teaching dialogue" between Muslims and Christians. As a result of these efforts, the Mission and Values statements of the Seminary had explicit reference to the goal of dialogue, a new core course on dialogue became part of their revised MA program, and an issue of Muslim World was developed on the theme of Christian-Muslim dialogue.
Support for a departmental retreat to clarify faculty responsibilities and share resources as teachers of undergraduate and graduate students, to specify the role of Theology in undergraduate curriculum and how Loyola religion department faculty might best contribute to a revised core curriculum, to foster a sense of corporate identity as a department, and to continue exploring the nature of theology in relation to the requirement for the mandatum.
The project sought to gather faculty from the department of theology for a retreat to reflect upon the enormous changes and challenges of their new context within the university structure and to address these challenges effectively. Specifically, they hoped to share teaching and learning resources for their new situation in the university, specify the role of theology in the university's revised curriculum, and to foster a sense of corporate identity as a department.
The faculty retreat was held in 2003 before the beginning of the new academic year. The project director highlights the following successes of the retreat: the department was able to reconnect personally; they were able to hold "serious conversations about teaching and techniques for classroom management," and they were able to set priorities for future work together. As a result, "the department has been working towards a renewed sense of its identity and mission."
In Religious Studies at the University of Dayton, the majority of courses fulfill general education requirements. Students too frequently enter those courses expecting minimal academic requirements. Yet precisely because Religious Studies courses are central to the distinctive educational experience at the University of Dayton, they can make the study of religion central to students' integration into the academic culture at the University of Dayton. This large group project involves all the Religious Studies instructors in a process that will produce a clear articulation of specific learning outcomes and pedagogical strategies to establish Religious Studies as a substantive influence in students' developing a passion for academic excellence in the study of religion while at the University of Dayton and long after they graduate. Project Goals. Religious Studies general education instructors will collaborate in a year-long process to determine learning outcomes in Religious Studies general education courses, especially the university-wide requirement, REL 103 "Introduction to Religion," and to identify a range of pedagogical strategies for realizing those outcomes so that all undergraduates engage in the study of religion in ways that contribute substantively to the culture of academic excellence at the University of Dayton and give students the basic critical skills and intellectual confidence required to pursue the study of religion-related topics beyond the four years of undergraduate study. A written version of these learning outcomes and pedagogical strategies will serve as a resource for those who teach Religious Studies general education and as a point of departure for ongoing discussions of the teaching-learning process in Religious Studies.
Participating in this year-long discussion of teaching general education courses, particularly the required introductory course, reaffirmed the importance of the required course in establishing a positive academic climate at our institution. A well-constructed, first-year course with clearly stated objectives and sound pedagogical strategies can have a significant influence on how a student engages in learning at the university. About 75% of this work is done before the course even begins through a carefully planned syllabus. The teaching consultants plus those who shared best practices re-confirmed how important it is for the teacher to have realistic expectations of students, and in general education courses that usually means expecting them to excel through gradually more challenging reading and writing assignments. The best teachers seem to have the best students, i.e., the students who are motivated to go beyond what they initially thought themselves capable. Though exceptional abilities in teaching are a gift, effective teaching is a skill that can be acquired and improved. To improve requires a willingness to be challenged to become a better teacher which in turn requires thinking of teaching as a communal activity - something for peers to observe and discuss with each other. The current focus on quantitative evaluation system, plus the divisions among adjunct, full-time, and graduate assistants, works against fostering a teaching community learning from each other and being supported by each other in their shared commitment to academic excellence. The grant provided an opportunity to see other possibilities, to recognize the communal dimension of teaching. Continuing to promote those practices that foster a teaching community in the Religious Studies Department is the legacy of this grant.
Support for a three-year faculty seminar on intercultural pedagogies for all members of the Department of Religious Studies and Philosophy at Holy Names University. The seminary will reformulate the pedagogical dimensions of the entire program in terms of intercultural pedagogies. All members of the seminar will: a) read provided essays in this field; enter into dialogue with leading experts; develop, utilize and evaluate at least one course on intercultural pedagogical strategy for teaching and learning in this program, b) critically evaluate and revise these strategies as part of a two year process of self-examination and dialogue with other North American universities regarding intercultural approaches to teaching religion and philosophy, c) meet each year for one day with students representing all three levels of the program in order to solicit feedback and to carry on a dialogue about the effectiveness of the specific intercultural approaches to teaching and learning students have encountered, and d) make three faculty retreats to address how the faculty's new commitment to intercultural teaching and learning can work to pass on and embody the Holy Names Sisters' historic commitment to multicultural education.
The Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning provided support for a three-year faculty seminar on intercultural pedagogies, and a series of retreats, speakers, and faculty-student interactions designed to shape and enhance the pedagogical dimensions of larger groundbreaking collaboration between the Pastoral Ministries Program of Holy Names University and Catholic dioceses in Northern California working to prepare lay ecclesial ministers for service in a diverse church. This collaboration was designed to support lay ministers who, after completing diocesan sponsored certificate programs of pastoral formation, wish to study for undergraduate degrees in a ministry-related field, and/or for an M.A. in Pastoral Ministries. We learned that there is an important role for Catholic universities who are willing to collaborate with Catholic dioceses in training the next generation of lay ecclesial ministers, and that current church leadership places great value on the formation of culturally competent ministers. We also learned that it is critically important for leaders in both institutions to understand the institutional constraints of the other. Going forward, we believe there is much room for expanded cooperation between Catholic universities and dioceses in leveraging existing resources to support and expand programs of study and formation preparing lay ecclesial ministers for service in a diverse church.
This project hopes to develop a one year (6 months of the academic year) program for seminary students in their second ("middler") year that would help them identify the different aspects of privilege and how these influence one's interpretation of others and the world. This program would be implemented during the 2007-2008 academic year.
This project will create a dialogue among African-American scholars around the problems of alienation and presumed epistemic privilege as impediments to learning for African-American students. Specifically, the dialogue will focus on the common classroom experience for many African-American theological teachers of teaching courses in Black religion in predominantly white institutions and finding the learning of their African-American students' hampered by the students' presumption that, in a curriculum from which many feel alienated, these courses are "theirs" and consequently spaces of affirmation and not of serious intellectual exploration and learning. The questions framing this dialogue are: In what ways do students expectations shape/misshape students' experience of learning?; What obstacles are presented when students wrongly presume that church "culture" will be the culture of the theological classroom?; What tools and strategies for African-American faculty teaching African-American students about the Black Christian tradition are available to make sure that learning happens?
The major learning from the project was that the ecology of the institution created not only barriers to learning but also opportunities. With the idea of epistemic opportunity arising in our second meeting a major shift in our conversations happened. During the early parts of our conversations we focused largely on pedagogical strategies that might overcome barriers which our students brought to the class. However, when we happened upon this idea of epistemic opportunity as a goal for not our pedagogy but, also as a basis for creating mini-ecosystems in the larger ecology of our institutions, this was a breakthrough. For this changed the question for us to how is it that we can create space for students to bring themselves into the classroom (a broader idea than their stuff, e.g., culture). As we processed the case studies we began to grapple with the various questions of what it means for the students to not only bring the brokenness and alienation which arises in the general institutional ecology into the classroom but also the strength and creativity which empowered them to be in front of us, as teachers, in spite of that ecology. The shift was then from an investigation of the layers of barriers to learning to include substantial reflection on creativity that emerges precisely from navigating those barriers. This is the primary learning which all participants took away from our conversations and the one which may be helpful to others.
This project aims to develop a statement articulating a theology of theological diversity, attentive to racial, ethnic, and class issues, which can guide implementation of curricula and a culture of theological diversity in the seminary learning environment. The difficult conversation at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (UTS) arises both from its ecumenical nature, and its simultaneous commitments to gender justice, racial justice, and cultural diversity. Students, faculty, and staff, have differing theological commitments, which often reflect racial and cultural differences, leading to tensions in dialogue over difficult issues. The project seeks to construct a theology of theological diversity and to train the faculty to facilitate dialogue and provide an atmosphere of theological and cultural diversity in the classroom through syllabi content and classroom conversation and conduct. It ends with evaluations and findings that will form the basis of an article on teaching theology in a theologically diverse setting.
In a project that was admittedly ambitious, we set out to develop a "theology of theological diversity" that would inform the learning environment of a liberal seminary that would prepare it for the cultural and racial diversity that it seeks. We articulated our hopes in several ways, for example, that students could be theologically multilingual, or would embrace and not simply tolerate theological diversity of experiences, beliefs and expressions. We realized that because of the impact of our null curriculum, we have to be very intentional about welcoming theological diversity and cultivating dialogue. To this end, several professors have added books and/or course objectives to their syllabus to promote and guide classroom learning and discussion.
Obstacles that we encountered in the first (main) portion of our project we were able to address with some success in the extension period. We learned to write course objectives, goals, and assessments. We had extended substantive theological discussions within the faculty, and a substantive discussion on the purposes of theological diversity. We modeled our new confidence and ease with diversity to our students and staff.
Students have responded positively to changes that have been made. There has been much appreciation of the ability and encouragement to express differing theological beliefs and experiences. There is a desire to continue theological diversity discussions.
There is much future learning to do. We have started down a path that is vital to our mission and viability as an institution of theological education. We need to continue down this path. We need to continue growing in our embrace of theological diversity. We need to grow in our ability to use course objectives to articulate and thus achieve an atmosphere of welcome in the classroom. We need to continue modeling this for the students, both old and new.
This grant has made a significant impact on the theological atmosphere at United, and we are very grateful.
In Fall 2008 we will implement a new interdepartmental religious studies major that requires students to take courses from a variety of departments. Given the potential for students to come away from this program with a fragmented understanding of the study of religion—as they are exposed to a variety of approaches to religion and methods for studying it—we aim to develop coherence in the major by developing deeper intellectual and collegial relationships among those who will be teaching in it. We seek to learn about one another's approaches to religion, to discuss and reflect upon strategies for interdisciplinary teaching, and to develop ways to foster students' experience of a coherent, unified degree program. Toward these ends, we will hold a four-day workshop in June 2008, preceded by a planning meeting in March; create a formal collaborative group; make information available on the web; and confer with invited scholars.
This project, developed in anticipation of the launching of a new interdepartmental major in Religious Studies, was intended to foster new relationships and connections among the faculty, coming from several different departments, who would be teaching our courses, in an effort to ensure that students' learning in the new program would be coherent. The centerpiece of the project was a three- and one-half day summer workshop, whose content was developed by the participants in spring planning meetings. The workshop was highly successful in fostering intellectual community among the participants and instilling a commitment to self-reflection and innovation in teaching about religion in the context of the interdepartmental program. A second one day conference was held the following summer which involved religion faculty from other schools in the area. The community that developed from the project has been apparent in and beneficial to both the functioning of the steering committee which guides the new Religious Studies Program and in the monthly workshops, attended by both faculty and students.
This project will provide pedagogical strategies for having difficult conversations in a classroom by using abortion, perhaps the most contentious conversation, as a model. We propose to hold a series of six workshops to 1) identify and evaluate existing models of teaching about abortion; 2) consider the range of pedagogical decisions teachers must make in order to encourage learning among students (and educators) who have already made decisions about the topic in advance of encountering it; 3) create an emic model that explores 'insider' information side-by-side with academic religious pedagogy and lived experiences; 4) provide guidelines and strategies that give confidence to the instructor and provide an atmosphere where respectful conversation and learning, rather than conflict, happens. Ultimately, these workshops seek to create guidelines that can be used to teach either a course or a unit within a course on a difficult topic in general (or abortion specifically).
These are some of the learnings that I take from the project. Use sensitivity and understanding; recognize that the student's approach is more personal than academic; student responses will be as complex as the topic. "Virtue Language" is most effective - avoid "right, wrong" or "good,bad;" instead ask, "Was she courageous (strong) in making her choice?" This creates potential for agreement rather than divisiveness. For credibility, use stories of actual (not hypothetical) situations. Students are more comfortable talking about abortion when it concerns 'others,' e.g., women in non-industrialized countries or historical women. Start there and bring the conversation closer to their own demographic in increments. Bring in guest speakers at the onset who will represent and articulate the various views of the students. If not, students fear that they will have to do it themselves and they do not feel confident in their own ability to articulate their positions effectively. They become defensive.
Through a combination of workshop, forums and surveys, this project engages the faculty of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in their ongoing effort to consider the issue of racial and cultural diversity as a pedagogical issue. The focus of this project centers on the selection of teaching resources, specifically textbooks. It builds on work that the faculty began in 2007 and is aimed ultimately at influencing the ethos of the community in the area of diversity. The specific purpose of the project is to help move the seminary more closely in line with its stated identity of openness to racial and cultural diversity in all aspects of seminary life. The project is directed to faculty, a key center of influence in the seminary community. The intention is to enable faculty members to identify multi-cultural gaps in their teaching resources in a non-threatening and supportive way and move them to be intentionally inclusive both racially and culturally as they select curricular resources. Their active commitment to diversity in this area can be a catalyst to moving the seminary to achieve its goal of racial and cultural diversity.
This project was directed at the faculty to alert them to the necessity of being proactive in meeting the requirements of multiculturalism that is intrinsic to the culture of the Garrett-Evangelical community. The project succeeded to the extent that the faculty conversations around the pedagogical implications of making racial and cultural diversity and inclusiveness a lived reality were rich and elicited renewed commitment on the part of the majority. The project succeeded in part because it was part of a larger, ongoing conversation and that the issue has been recognized as integral to the life and health of the seminary community. Thus, the conversation continues beyond the completion of this project. Sadly, a few faculty members dismissed the need for conversation but the faculty as a body recognized their responsibility to and influence on the racial and cultural ethos of the seminary and pledged to keep the conversation alive.
Faculty in both theological schools and post-baccalaureate education programs need to be able to communicate across training differences, appreciate common educational and societal concerns, and learn cooperative practices to function as effective teachers of future leaders in church and society today. This project proposes a pedagogy of cooperative action research for seminary teachers and teachers of higher education in the university setting to foster a shared approach to teaching and learning around issues of common concern. The issue of common concern that will animate the action research pedagogy in our classrooms is "children at risk" in our respective communities. The action research proposed here is designed as a pilot project which will, hopefully, seed further adaptations of this pedagogy for higher education and community use.
This project addressed the need for faculty in both theological schools and post-baccalaureate education programs to engage common educational and societal concerns and learn cooperative practices to function as effective teachers of future leaders in church and society today. Specifically this project explored a pedagogy of cooperative action research for seminary teachers and teachers of higher education in the university setting to this end. The issue of common concern that animated the action research was "children at risk" in our respective communities, urban Boston and rural Appalachia. Questions brought to this concern were: What is happening to children in our schools, communities, churches? What is at stake for their well-being? What roles do we play in their future?
In order to deepen and broaden a text approach to these questions we chose participatory social inquiry, a form of action research, as the pedagogical vehicle to both model and help students learn the skills to make the connections between what they are reading in our courses and how to apply that theory to the analysis of the research they conducted within their respective communities around these formative questions. And then, how to share their findings cross-professionally.
This project seeks to re-conceive the second course in a series of three theology courses that are part of Sequence Four of the M.Div. at Iliff by using a genuinely "constructivist" pedagogy. The course, titled Theological Imagination and Construction I, helps students begin to find and take confidence in their own voice. Beyond the success of this one class, and the growth of my own pedagogy, the institutional effects could be significant since pedagogical reform is on the front burner at Iliff and this course is a linchpin in their curriculum.
The most successful parts of the project (from the students' perspective) were the ones in which I already had greatest experience: lecturing and facilitating seminar-style discussion. The small group projects were more frustrating for the students, yet these form the core of the constructivist enterprise. I can make some adjustments as I gain skill in this pedagogy, but I am also willing to accept that the part of the course that most contributes to the formation of my students may never be the most popular, and that the results of this particular pedagogy will not be apparent in any immediately assessable way.
Oblate School of Theology values integrative learning. However, faculty have reviewed and discussed the results of the final Integrating Seminar in the Master of Divinity program and have found the results were not what was desired. In particular, students have not adequately demonstrated integration of learning as measured by the Integrating Seminar. This project seeks to design and implement curricular and pedagogical changes based on articulated outcomes on integration of learning.
This project identified five particular skills related to integration of learning and where and how these skills were taught in the Master of Divinity curriculum at OST. Using the approach of backwards design, faculty have learned how to develop rubrics for specific assignments based upon competency-based skill rubrics. The intentional identification of pedagogical and curricular points of contact on each skill has resulted in a more consistent approach to teaching these skills. At the mid-point of the project, faculty and students report improvement in the use of all five skills. Faculty have begun the task of developing consistent and constant pedagogical approaches to be used with each skill throughout the curriculum. The use of competencies has demonstrably improved teaching and learning.
Recognizing the significant change in the contemporary context for worship in a global and pluralistic culture, this project aims to develop a new paradigm for teaching worship as a way to help liturgics faculty become better equipped in their teaching. Two liturgics professors will be invited from different institutions and will work with me to construct new approaches to teaching liturgics courses by reconfiguring the nature and function of worship in a global world, the image and role of worship leaders in a pluralistic culture of congregations, and an effective pedagogy that can help students stretch and broaden their knowledge and experience of worship. A one-day workshop will include three conversation sessions and demonstrations of teaching in an actual class setting. The project will be evaluated based on the students' class evaluations and the participants' self-reflection and feedback. Funding will support the participants' travel and accommodation, reception, honoraria, stipend for the project director, and miscellaneous expenses for the event.
The project seminar was useful for the participants. It helped us improve our teaching in many ways. By sharing and evaluating our course syllabi, we gained some insights into improving our courses from global perspectives; through the preparation and delivery of our lectures, we could challenge students to think about worship out of the box. The entire process of the project went well, as I had planned, and our lectures turned out to be invaluable resources to teach worship from global perspectives. However, offering three lectures for three-and-a-half hours did not allow sufficient time for discussing crucial issues emerging from the lectures at a deeper level. Perhaps, a panel discussion with one or two presentations in relation to multicultural worship in a global world might have been a more effective pedagogical strategy than giving three lectures to have enough conversation with students within the limited time.
Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond relies on qualified adjunct faculty to help meet the needs of the formal curriculum offered to students. Despite the practice of vetting adjuncts by the faculty end-of-course student evaluations for adjunct taught courses have historically been mixed. With the recent approval of two new concentrations in the M.Div. the seminary will rely more heavily on adjuncts to provide coverage of new courses. The proposed adjunct faculty training program is intended to provide adjuncts necessary knowledge and skill in effective pedagogy in order to enhance the effectiveness of course offerings.
The objective of this project was to enhance the quality of teaching among the adjunctive faculty at Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (BTSR). The significance of the project was informed by two realities: (1) the seminary is making a major emphasis on rigorous assessment of student learning in response to its recent (2008-09) accreditation self-study, and (2) currently and for the foreseeable future, the seminary will continue to depend on its adjunctive faculty to help meet the needs of its curriculum. Enhancing the teaching performance and assessment skills of adjunctive faculty will have a direct impact on institutional effectiveness related to teaching and learning.
The activities for this grant project consisted of the development of three faculty development programmatic resources: (1) a published resource guide for all faculty, A Guide to Course Design & Assessment of Student Learning, Galindo; (2) a series of training workshops for adjunctive faculty; (3) the development of an online faculty resource site for teaching and learning curricular assessment.
While much has been written about the sexual activity of college students, less is known about the extent to which religion shapes their sexual decision-making, and the potential of the liberal arts classroom as a site for examining such a process. This project will invite an interdisciplinary group of faculty on a secular campus to consider how they could integrate discussions about the sexual attitudes and practices of college students into their courses. Through focus groups, textual resources, and a four-week colloquy, this project will characterize liberal arts teaching as a "purposeful social construction" through which faculty critically think about sexuality and transform the classroom into a more accessible space for students to think through their sexual decision-making. Thus, this project advocates for the development of pedagogy that views the exploration of sexuality education as an innovative means of addressing critical thinking goals and equips students to think about healthy spiritual and mental growth.
This project was designed to engage a secular liberal arts undergraduate institution around the sexual attitudes and practices of college students. Our findings indicate that personal safety, awareness, background, and context influence the interest of students and commitment of faculty to explore issues of sexual morality in the classroom. While students advocate for using intellectual space for such discussions – particularily in environments void of faculty promotion of their personal values – pedagogical concerns and personal comfort determine whether and the extent to which faculty members resist their efforts. Interdisciplinary collaborations that promote critical thinking about moral issues are more likely to create safe space for both faculty and students to reflect on and dialogue about the formation of sexual values and actions among college students.
The grant will fund a day long retreat for the faculty of St. Andrew's College. New faculty and a new principal will dialogue with established faculty to build community and study pedagogy and how it relates to curriculum at St. Andrew's.
The faculty retreat was a good way to form collegial relationships and to begin heightening the importance of conversations about teaching and learning matters. The use of an outside facilitator also appears to have been a good move. Sharing of visions, hopes, and dreams could provide a solid foundation for subsequent discussions about what fuels individual faculty in their careers and teaching. The foundation will hopefully prove to be a touch stone to which faculty will return as they explore curriculum and assessment concerns over the next few years.
This project will bring a number of professors together from the Faculty of Theology at Ambrose University College to reflect, discuss, and implement ways to better build community in the classroom. The focus will be the pedagogical issues that professors face in their own classrooms as it relates to community building, and the teaching and learning activities that they have and will use to build and improve community in order to help students learn.
What does it mean to live in pedagogical community? Six professors met together to have conversations about creating community in the classroom. We discovered that in order to build classroom community we have to live in community ourselves as a "community of scholars." As we live as a "community of scholars," we can have deeper conversations around teaching and learning strategies that will facilitate learning in the classroom and discuss the challenges we face in the classroom. We also discovered together that there are tensions between institutional goals and the art of teaching that need to be resolved so that pedagogical community can genuinely happen.
Funding will support the development of a three-day consultation exploring the pedagogical problems and possibilities that accompany theological education that connects ecology and social justice. This consultation will gather, from around the nation, ten professors in graduate level theological education who teach "ecology and theological studies" and who desire to expand "ecology" to "eco-justice." ("Eco-justice" here refers to the convergence of ecological concerns and social justice concerns). Participants will collaborate to: 1) identify pedagogical issues and challenges inherent in a curriculum linking environmental issues to social justice; 2) design questions for exploring these challenges; 3) construct knowledge for meeting these challenges; 4) broadly disseminate this knowledge within their professional communities; and 5) build local collegial support for teaching eco-justice. The group's findings eventually will be summarized in an edited volume on teaching eco-justice in theological education, designed to give practical support for professors venturing into this little explored domain.
This project catalyzed learning on varied levels. On a primary level participating faculty learned a great deal about challenges and possibilities that emerge in theological education when social justice issues (such as environmental racism and climate imperialism) are brought to bear on ecological issues. Moreover, we learned from one another a wealth of approaches to exploring the intersection of social justice and ecologic sustainability, and teaching in that nexus.
-	Eco-justice as the framework for seeking to dismantle sexism and racism and to eradicate poverty.
-	Using womanist methodology as the pedagogical basis for teaching eco-justice in theological education.
-	The epistemological challenge of learning from voices of the Earth.
-	How to prepare our students to forge paths toward sustainable earth-human relations that we have failed to forge.
On a secondary level, consultation planners gained tremendous insight into method and process for creating further venues in which faculty may collaboratively construct pedagogies that equip students to face the Earth crisis as a theological issue and a social justice, and to lead others in that venture.
The purpose of this project is to address the question of "Latin@ pedagogy." Is there a distinctive set of pedagogies that can, in fact, be identified as Latin@? Are these pedagogical approaches influenced by religious culture; in other words, is there a distinctive Protestant/ evangélica pedagogy? If there is, can awareness and implementation of such pedagogies transcend the cultural/ ethnic/ racial background of theological educators; that is to say, can non-Latin@s learn such pedagogical practices such that they, along with their Latin@ colleagues, can create a learning environment that adequately responds to the needs of Latin@ students? It is the contention of this project that identifying such pedagogical approaches can begin to develop a curriculum that is culturally and religiously appropriate for Protestant Latin@s that will prepare them adequately for their work among Latin@ communities in the Unites States and abroad.
This project was a two-fold event that sought to identify specific "Latina evangélica/o" pedagogical approaches. As a result of a morning roundtable conversation with core scholars and their subsequent afternoon gathering with grassroots evangélico/a (Protestant) leaders, preliminary findings were identified. For example, the group noted that: 1) Latina/o evangélicas bring to the classroom a multicontextual approach that seeks the intentional inclusion of nontraditional and marginalized voices. 2) They respect non-modern worldviews in an academic culture that privileges post-Enlightenment approaches to learning. 3) Latino/a evangélicas integrally link a spirituality that is part of the "everyday" (lo cotidiano) praxis with a profound sense of vocation (llamamiento). Spirituality and llamamiento, in turn, provide social capital and impact how evangélicas/os learn and teach. The group agreed that this project was only a preliminary step towards a larger conversation that needs to take place, which would entail historical and structural analyses of Latinas/os in the academy.
Freire's pedagogy has been used as a theoretical basis for education among minority communities. However, on the practical level a practical design of an institution has not been seen at an institution in the United States. Creating a course that seeks to exemplify a few aspects of a liberative pedagogy does not truly represent a liberative pedagogy because it demands an entire institutional design. This project seeks to explore and begin the implementation of a liberative institutional design. The student population at the school is over 90% Latin@ and 60% of the professors are Latin@. The staff is 80% Latin@. A liberative pedagogy in this setting will begin with a definition of a Latin@ pedagogy specific for this educational setting. This project will facilitate a way for faculty, students and staff to discuss the development of a libertive institutional design and to create a plan for implementation over the next 5 years. The information will then be discussed with the provost and with the collegium of deans with the purpose of stimulating a discussion that will inform the curriculum on the main campus.
The project helped us to identify our educational philosophy and to determine the type of context that is necessary for establishing a Freirian teaching learning environment. We were also able to identify our Latinidad in the teaching learning process. Mostly, the project gave us an opportunity to begin to document and determine the reasons for our success with non-traditional, first generation to college minority students. This is important as we continue to evaluate it. One example of this is our graduation rate is 64% while the other major community colleges in the city have graduation rates that range from 6% to 23%. The project helped us begin to determine the reasons for the success and to discuss ways that we might improve this.
Increasingly, theological schools are training religious leaders to serve in a religiously diverse context. Most seminary faculty have moved beyond the framework of 'world religions' courses and are exploring various pedagogies to teach other faiths, such as interfaith dialogue, team teaching, mixed-student classrooms, clinical pastoral education (CPE), experiential site visits, travel learning programs, and field placements. Yet among seminary educators, there is little shared understanding about exactly how such pedagogies impact the formation of a religious leader. This project will survey 100 faculty involved in multifaith education at seminaries, then create a "brain trust" of seminary educators to explore and write about pedagogies of multifaith education. Participating faculty will prepare written reflections for publication and identify best practices in their context. The results of the survey, "brain trust," and reflections (both written and streaming video) will form the content of a new web-based faculty resource.
As multifaith education grows at seminaries across America, more attention should be paid to pedagogy. A wide variety of teaching methods are in use to teach other faiths to future religious leaders, and educators do not have shared understanding about their impact. From a diverse array of factors that affect learning, the theological and religious backgrounds of the learner appear to have a particularly strong impact on the learning process. American seminary faculty are engaging in a creative array of pedagogies, often with little knowledge of their colleagues' work. Favorite teaching methods may be linked to the passions and skills of the teacher more than the needs of the learner. Multifaith educators generally agree that studying another tradition ultimately sharpens and strengthens one's relationship with one's own tradition, except in the tiny minority of cases where such learning eventually leads to conversion or departure from the home faith.
Brite Divinity School wishes to focus on enhancing integration of teaching and learning across its new M.Div. curriculum to be implemented this fall. Brite seeks funding to support the work of the faculty-student task force which will guide research; wide consultation with Brite students, alums, and faculty; and development of a five-year plan for enhancing integration. This grant is intended to support expert consultation for the task force and opportunities for faculty consultation during a retreat. The plan will include careful strategies for assessing the effectiveness of its efforts.
Brite Divinity School has used a small grant to support its use of an expert consultant and the work of a select group of faculty and students to conceptualize and articulate a proposal for enhancing student's capacities for integrative learning across the MDiv curriculum. In particular Brite identified models that enhance integrative learning and pedagogical practices to support such learning. We developed a five year plan to implement our proposal. We developed formative and summative assessment strategies to support our goals. Brite used a highly consultative model for developing the proposal including four occasions for consultation with students, alums, and denominational partners as well as multiple consultations with faculty colleagues and periodic conversations with Board members. As a consequence of this work, there is widespread familiarity with and enthusiasm about this emphasis that accompanies a newly implemented MDiv curriculum.
This grant will primarily fund a four-day workshop for the four core faculty of the Religious Studies Program at East Carolina University, the focus of which will be the evolution of the Religious Studies Program from its current existence under the Multidisciplinary Program to a stand-alone major in the fall of 2011. The workshop will provide a venue for discussions on the direction of the program as well as facilitate faculty collegiality. In addition, the remaining grant money will serve as seed funding to bring to the ECU campus in the fall of 2011 Dr. Tim Renick, Professor and Associate Provost for Academic Programs at Georgia State University, who successfully developed a department of Religious Studies at that institution. He has agreed in preliminary conversations to consult with religious studies faculty, contributing faculty from other departments, and key administrators about the advancement of the Religious Studies degree at ECU.
The RS Program at ECU, like many of our peer institutions, struggles to find ways to thrive in difficult financial circumstances. Thus, the theme of the conversations from our grant proposal shifted from planning for a new major to strategic conversations on how to thrive under our current structure until the economic situation improves. The summer faculty retreat enabled us to chronicle the history of RS at ECU, to brainstorm ways to raise the profile of the programs, to address misconceptions about RS at ECU and to negotiate for greater autonomy for RS as a sub-unit of the Philosophy Department. The brainstorming ideas of the summer developed into systematic planning in the fall with the consultative visit from Dr. Timothy Renick, whose expertise provided us with prioritized goals for the future success of RS: expansion of the major, cultivation of external funding, and collaboration efforts with local and regional colleagues.
The purpose of this grant is to study the pedagogical issues in teaching comparative scripture in an independent liberal arts setting. As a professor of biblical studies, I have developed extensive experience in teaching the scriptures my mostly Christian students consider sacred. In my classes to this point, the main challenge has been introducing the historical-critical method to new students. This method often raises intense existential anxiety in some Christian students. A comparative approach will introduce a range of new issues for me and my students in addition to the challenge of critical study of one's own scriptures: facile reactions to what is "true" and "false"; students' tendency to assimilate comparative problems rather than critically examine differences; the problem of introducing new and "exotic" religious traditions; and the controversial politics of Islam in our society. I propose here to study these pedagogical problems by researching the literature on teaching and learning and conversations with Gene Gallagher and other scholars.
This pilot project seeks to uncover those teaching methodologies that professors of moral theology/ethics have determined to be successful in helping students not only to intellectually understand Catholic moral teachings, but also to personally and affectively appropriate those teachings. By providing a format for professors to discuss and evaluate teaching methods they have employed, they will benefit by constructing a peer review body of knowledge about such methods as well as sharpening their own teaching skills. These methodologies which seek to combine a knowledge of the mind with a wisdom of the heart invite students, both clerical and lay, to freely commit, within the solitude of their own consciences, to church teachings in a deeply personal and ecclesially-oriented way. We submit that students will then be more fully prepared to fulfill their ministerial objectives as visible leaders in the Roman Catholic Church.
Through the grant we have come to a greater appreciation of the necessity of clearly understanding who the human person is as learner, including his or her divine vocation, anthropology, and way we speak about these realities. On a more concrete level, we have also learned that a great many of our colleagues in moral theology have given serious and prolonged thought to how they might best assist the student in his or her forming studies to learn both the truths of our faith and commit themselves to them. These same colleagues also saw the need and benefit for an exchange of concrete, pedagogical ideas and practices. By publishing our findings in a peer-reviewed article, we hope to disclose not only the details of what we learned, but instigate a larger discussion at the service of both instructor and student of moral theology.
In the second phase of a three-phase project, Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary faculty will gather in retreat format to envision a blueprint for a new educational model. Building on vision/mission restatement processes in 2014-15 that identified "a learning community of engagement" as center (Phase 1), the retreat launches a year-long process in which our consultant, Israel Galindo, leads the FPBS learning community in developing a pedagogical model to align with this center (Phase 2). FPBS will then in 2016-17 apply the new model to pedagogical strategies and student life, affecting the entire educational (curricular and non-curricular) enterprise (Phase 3). In the changing landscape of theological education FPBS needs a new and more fully developed model for personal formation in community.
Under the guidance of Dr. Gary Gramenz, the Dean of Fresno Pacific University's School of Education, the faculty and staff of Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary met in retreat to discuss various pedagogical approaches that can help encourage students' personal transformation and development. Of particular interest to us are our many part-time students and the students in our new on-line program, both of whom no longer participate in a traditional residential experience. Specifically, we explored the strategic roles that truth, goodness and beauty can play as "disorienting dilemmas" within a pedagogical process. With instructional attention often directed at the students' acquisition of knowledge and attainment of skills, we considered how teachers can shape their students' "dispositions" by thoughtfully exposing them to and processing with them such dilemmas.
This proposal on pedagogy and integration supports two activities: 1) a series of MTS seminars (four per semester) over a two year period jointly led by faculty from across the biblical, historical and theological disciplines and 2) participation in a faculty day retreat at the end of each year. The primary purpose of these activities is for faculty 1) to practice a pedagogy that integrates the distinct disciplines in a single seminar, 2) to model dialectical exchange and interdisciplinary discussion, and 3) to evaluate the potential benefits of this pedagogy for the wider curriculum.
In May 2018, the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond sponsored a "Theological Roundtable" focused on striving to integrate seminary and ministry. To this end, we invited two recent alumni and two faculty to address and explore together how we might better integrate theology and ministry in a way that strengthens our institutional vocations. The morning began with coffee, moved to discussion at a roundtable, and ended with lunch as we continued our conversations.
The teacher-scholars of Wake Forest University School of Divinity recently revised the school's curriculum to reflect the diversity of the student body and contemporary ministry contexts. This academic year, we want to extend this process and consider the pedagogical shifts that will mirror the values embedded in our curriculum. To this end, we propose to convene a series of five faculty conversations on learner-centered teaching. The goals of the project are threefold: 1) to convene a formal conversation that will develop the pedagogical implications of the curricular revision; 2) for a majority of our regular teaching faculty to develop a learner-centered technique in one of their courses within the next year; and 3) to equip faculty with the ability to help students to reflect on how they learn in divinity school, including strategies for overcoming resistance to learner-centered pedagogy.
How can faculty at an ecumenical divinity school nurture a learning climate that mirrors the great value the school places on diversity? The teacher-scholars of Wake Forest University School of Divinity were motivated to pursue this question after completing a curricular revision in the 2014-2015 academic year. This revision added four "Area Requirements," which name core competencies for contemporary religious leadership in relation to gender and sexuality, race and class, religious pluralism, and ecological well-being. The goal of the grant project was to develop the pedagogical implications of the curricular revision by creating a conversation around learner-centered teaching and implementing learner-centered techniques in our courses. We imagined that learner-centered teaching might be an ideal means to help students reflect on how they learn in divinity school, so that they might overcome various forms of resistance to the self-examination that this transformative education requires.
The project sought to completely redesign the entire M.Div. curriculum into one that intentionally integrated theory and practice to develop personal formation as a foundation upon which to build ministry formation. This redesign focused upon the Christian Ministry Department collaborating in the creation of all courses in the new curriculum so that ministry skills would be integrated with personal formation and ministry formation.
The department discussed the matter for a full year and set time aside for a two-day retreat where the principles of the redesign were examined in conjunction with outside education experts. They learned that the discussions within the department yielded better pairings and more effective sequencing of the courses. The outside experts presented alternative teaching models for integration in the curriculum. The new design was presented to students in a retreat day format. Students were initially resistant to the changes but became more open as the courses developed.
Fund a facilitator to work with faculty in a year-long conversation on teaching, to include the nature of the seminary's students, current trends in teaching and learning, instructional technology, and the relationship between the subject matter and the person teaching the subject.
The project sought to fund a facilitator and a retreat for faculty development in the areas of teaching, learning and pedagogy. They hoped to become more knowledgeable of current research on teaching and learning, to incorporate them into their pedagogy and to develop a community of scholars dedicated to excellence in teaching.
Working with Dr. Victor Klimoski of St. John's University, Collegeville, MN, they developed a process of meeting that allowed them to think in creative terms about how they taught as well as the paradox of teaching and learning at their seminary. They were able to focus on Parker Palmer's, The Courage to Teach, with specific emphasis on its pertinence to seminary work. They learned that ongoing discussion on pedagogy was needed on their faculty. This culminated in a faculty retreat on the redevelopment of their syllabi to make them more in line with the teaching excellence mission of the school. This created a more consistent approach across their curriculum.
Develop a team-taught course as a pilot program for an institutional alliance in the Mississippi Delta region to appropriate the rich and diverse religious, educational and cultural options in the region. The course will identify and share speakers, artistic, historic, and cultural resources and multimedia products with the seminary and wider community.
The experiential learning of the course enriched urban and cross-cultural ministry training. Students discovered ways to become pastors who exegete the diversity of their local communities well. Also, the course helped the students and faculty to build community relationships that may endure. Finally, they looked for ways to develop a track in the M.Div. and D.Min. programs that attended to diversity issues in ministry. Overall, the course helped both students and faculty "to discover and reflect upon the changing face of diversity at the local community level."
Two workshops, an alumni focus group, and expert consultants to assist the faculty in revising curricula, syllabi and teaching strategies to create a more inclusive learning environment.
The project sought to develop faculty workshops and consultations dedicated to revising curricula, syllabi and teaching strategies to create a more inclusive learning environment. The workshops were in the area of understanding and dismantling racism and teaching in a multicultural environment. Consultations with faculty in the major areas of the curriculum would be held with educational consultants. They would also consult with a focus group of alumni/ae students of color.
From this work faculty have re-structured classes to incorporate anti-racism training, as well as incorporating more culturally diverse learning resources and theoretical models. They feel that they developed more useful skills to bring to curriculum revision. The faculty agreed that anti-racism training should be a required part of the revised curriculum.
Series of conferences for Catholic colleges and universities to help develop programs in Catholic social teaching.
The project sought "to initiate the institution of programs in Catholic social teaching at twelve Catholic colleges and universities in the United States." It sought to respond to the lack of knowledge and practice of Catholic social teaching on the part of American Catholics, through the creation of college and university level programs.
Overall, the participants' efforts on the individual campuses were successful in creating stronger programs for teaching Catholic social teaching in their institutions. In these schools, administrative officers frequently cited the presence of these programs as evidence of the school's Catholic identity; however, at times the level of verbal support did not match the material support. Other learning involved the reality that schools have not yet fully appreciated or rewarded faculty for their involvement in Catholic social teaching and justice projects. Participants saw these programs as having a positive effect on their campuses.
Summer workshop for faculty who teach religion and theology in university-wide core integrated studies curriculum.
The project sought to develop an innovative approach to core introductory courses in religious studies, philosophy and history. This involved delivering the three disciplines in one highly integrated course on Western Civilization that moved beyond a multi-disciplinary approach and focused on commonalities.
Overall, this project was a highly successful pilot project in interdisciplinary course development and teaching. The six faculty who team-taught the course found the intensive planning time over the summer to be stimulating and productive. Faculty also found it helpful to understand content beyond the confines of their own disciplines. Student reaction to the course was overwhelmingly positive.
Research and assessment of pedagogical practices in Christian Ethics courses as the basis of course design and revision.
The project sought to survey seminary Introductory Christian Ethics courses in order to assess the current condition of Christian Ethics in the U.S. on the basis of pedagogical practices. The goal was to revise the introductory course at Candler through this study. Also, academic papers would result from this study, including a review of pedagogical approaches.
The study began a process that led to two certificates offered through the BTI, one in International Mission and Ecumenism, and a second in Science and Religion in three tracks: Natural Science, Bio-ethics, Religion, and Ecology. Also, from this study came an edited collection, Theological Literacy in the 21st Century, published by Eerdmans Publishing Company.
This project will help faculty to understand and then address the changes resulting from students increasingly accessing information via digital means. McLuhan (1964) and Ong (1982) noticed that technology was changing the way that students receive, process, remember, and then pass on information. More recently, Jonah Sachs (2012) observed that contemporary learners are now accessing information through digital means to the extent that they exhibit the characteristics of oral learners (as opposed to print learning characteristics). As a result, he described these learners using the term "digit-oral." This project will provide means for faculty to evaluate their own students and then coach faculty to adjust their teaching approaches for digit-oral learners accordingly.
Faculty now have a more complete understanding of why there a shift in student learning preferences from "print" learners to "digit-oral" learners is taking place. As well as which teaching methods are most helpful for digit-oral learners, knowledge of findings from recent research regarding digit-oral seminary students, and what changes can be made in the classroom to better serve digit­-oral learners. This project is part of a larger conversation regarding the theories of student learning. Categorizing a student as a "print" or "digit­-oral" learner benefits instructors by revealing which teaching methods are likely to be most effective. Understanding the effect of technology on learning styles is an ongoing field of study, but understanding the print - digit-oral spectrum can help instructors more effectively teach their students in the 21st century.
The Wartburg Theological Seminary faculty is engaged in online instruction both for degree and certificate programs. We are accredited by both ATS and HLC for comprehensive distance education programs. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has both Masters and Certificate tracks toward ordination. In fall semester we are implementing a new Master of Divinity curriculum to be delivered employing interactive video. This new approach needs to combine the best teaching and learning practices from both residential classroom and asynchronous online courses. We are seeking a consultant to help us develop and implement new and enhanced teaching and learning strategies and methods focused on course design, course development, and implementation of new pedagogy for effective use of interactive video. This proposal is to assist in equipping our faculty for an entirely new mode of teaching, employing video streaming, something we have never done before.
Wartburg Theological Seminary (WTS) faculty members are engaged in online instruction for both degree and certificate programs. We are accredited by both A TS and HLC for delivery of comprehensive distance education programs. Our church body, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has both a Masters level and a Certificate track, Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) toward ordination. In fall semester we are implementing a new Master of Divinity curriculum that will be delivered employing interactive video. This new approach needs to combine the best of teaching and learning practices from both residential classroom and asynchronous online courses. We received from the Wabash Center this grant for a consultant to help us develop and implement new and enhanced teaching and learning strategies and methods focused on course design, course development, and implementation of new pedagogy for effective use of interactive video. The faculty had initial introduction to the challenges of this pedagogy at our faculty retreat in May 2016. This grant has assisted us in equipping our faculty for an entirely new mode of teaching, employing video streaming.