{"id":39478,"date":"2018-09-05T14:59:08","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T18:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=39478"},"modified":"2018-09-07T14:59:08","modified_gmt":"2018-09-07T18:59:08","slug":"hybrid-seminary-courses-blend-face-to-face-and-flexible-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/hybrid-seminary-courses-blend-face-to-face-and-flexible-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Hybrid seminary courses blend face-to-face and flexible learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Working as a full-time pastor in Roanoke, Virginia, or a volunteer chaplain in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">taking courses at <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/seminary\/\">Eastern Mennonite Seminary<\/a> are no longer incompatible, thanks to a relatively new option: hybrid courses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In August, two such courses on the Gospel of Luke\/Book of Acts and the psychology of religion \u2013 each met for an intensive week of 20 hours of class time, with the remainder of coursework unfolding over seven additional weeks of online interaction. An additional course, on formation in missional leadership, is underway online and will complete its face-to-face component in October.<\/span><\/p>\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/seminary\/distance-learning\/\">Learn more about distance learning at EMS<\/a>.<\/aside>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe are turning more and more often to a hybrid format for course offerings,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/faculty-staff\/?show=heiseyn\">Nancy Heisey<\/a>, associate seminary dean. \u201cMany of our students live at a distance or are working full time, yet value the opportunity for face-to-face learning as well.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Luke\/Acts class brought students from five states, including Adam Stultz, who is pursuing an MDiv while serving as a full-time associate pastor at Summerdean Church of the Brethren in Roanoke, Virginia. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think a deep understanding of these books will also be helpful for preaching and teaching,\u201d he said. \u201cI like the fact that this course only requires me to be away from my family and my congregational duties for five days on campus, then I have the flexibility to complete the coursework on my own schedule.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donna Becker, a volunteer chaplain and employee at Landis Homes Retirement Community in Lititz, Pennsylvania, took the class to \u201clearn better ways to interpret and understand these books so I can interpret and teach them in my ministry context,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hybrid course format has pros and cons, she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI liked being in class for the first week, getting to know my classmates and the professor in person and interacting with the texts with others,\u201d she said. While she will miss that in-person interaction, she said, it is the online component that \u201cmakes it possible for me to take the course.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For Professor <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/faculty-staff\/?show=yoderld\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lonnie Yoder<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, teaching hybrid courses \u2013 the psychology of religion class is his seventh hybrid course since 2015 \u2013 means adapting content and pedagogy to two different modes in what he describes as an \u201cimprovisational dance\u201d that he has found fulfilling. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the initial intensive week, he focuses on building community through personal, active engagement through mini-lectures, small group work, video clips, music and more. Often students will, without prompting, bring food to share with the class, and spend breaks during sessions connecting with each other in the lounge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The subsequent online component allows more time for students to engage with various texts. Yoder creates a short introductory video for each week\u2019s assignment, and grades and returns student work promptly in order to keep students engaged.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That engagement is key to having \u201cgood energy\u201d in the class, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Working as a full-time pastor in Roanoke, Virginia, or a volunteer chaplain in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and taking courses at Eastern Mennonite Seminary are no longer incompatible, thanks to a relatively <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/hybrid-seminary-courses-blend-face-to-face-and-flexible-learning\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Hybrid seminary courses blend face-to-face and flexible learning<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":39479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17562,8845,265],"tags":[10076,9392],"feature":[17425],"class_list":["post-39478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digest","category-emu-at-lancaster","category-seminary","tag-lonnie-yoder","tag-nancy-heisey","feature-featured-seminary"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - 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