Kristen Ferguson - Excellence in Online Education: Creating a Christian Community on Mission

Excellence in Online Education

Copyright 2020 by Kristen A. Ferguson

Published by B&H Academic

Nashville, Tennessee

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-0877-3180-3

Dewey Decimal Classification: 268.6

Subject Heading: CHRISTIAN EDUCATION / WEB-BASED INSTRUCTION / TEACHING

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Cover design by Kristen Ingebretson.

Cover illustration by Watchara/Shutterstock.

The web addresses referenced in this book were live and correct at the time of the books publication but may be subject to change.

Printed in the United States of America

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To my parents:

Whether we are together physically
or separated by miles,
your love has been a constant comfort
and support to me in everything I do.

I am forever grateful to God for both of you.

F rom the trenches of educating during the COVID-19 pandemic, this book was wrought from concern and love for my fellow educators as they moved their entire semester online. My colleagues at Gateway Seminary and friends at other institutions accomplished a remarkable feat and made the monumental shift to distance education in relatively no time. I am honored to be among you in serving students at this time in history. May your endurance, tenacity, and grit continue to glorify God as you implement new tools, pedagogies, and strategies to shape students, wherever they may be located.

I am indebted to many for this book. Chris Morgan was first my pastor, then my professor, and now a mentor and friend. This project was a direct result of his encouragement. Jeffrey Horner and Matt Thomas have been true friends since our doctoral work together. They read many pieces of this work and provided feedback amid a dauntingly busy season. Jim Wilson likewise read and encouraged my work in profound ways, and I am shaped as a writer because of his investment in me.

I am further grateful to Ryan Baltrip, Brian Renshaw, Timothy Paul Jones, and Kathy Savage for providing me with my very first and most formative experiences in online education at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Since then, my colleagues and friends at Gateway Seminarythe faculty, staff, and studentswho have entrusted to me their online education program, have influenced me in profound ways. Your genuine love, respect, care, humility, and radical commitment to the spread of the gospel are a model of Christian community whereby I continuously grow as a disciple of Jesus. Akila Brummett and Jennifer Denbaugh also work alongside me in the online office to serve the faculty and students in profound ways. Thank you especially to Jennifer for the graphics you contributed to this book.

Finally, my family has provided support and consistent care that far exceeds anything I deserve. My parents, sister and brother-in-law, aunt, uncle, nieces, cousin, grandpa, and in-laws have given me a rich community established by God and dedicated to the good of one another. My sweet children, Asher and Lyla, likewise loved me and gave me ample comic relief during the writing of this book. Most of all, the love and support from my husband, Anthony, could not be matched on earth. From the moment we met, his ambitious love for God has led him to cultivate every possible way we together could enrich Gods reputation around the world, including now this book. He has consistently sought to encourage, equip, and inspire me to attempt far more for God than I would have ever dreamed of doing on my own. I am certain that my joy in heaven will be increased because of the care and love of my faithful and godly husband who points me to my Savior.

Kristen Ferguson

From isolation in Beaumont, CA

May 2020

O nline education is an ever-changing field of innovation and development. Just as technology continues to push boundaries and invent new markets, so also online educators adopt technology and create delivery methods to make education more flexible, convenient, and attractive to the modern student. Christian education, on the other hand, is marked by an unwavering commitment to the stable truths of the Bible. The Bible provides us with a mission: to shape students into being more like Christ and to advance his kingdom. The Bible determines the method by which we teach and evaluate every innovation, new technology, and creative pedagogical approach. We are not bound by innovation but by the powerful Word of God that transforms lives and changes the world. If the proposed technology or delivery method is not consistent with Scripture, we leave it behind to press on toward our mission. We do not change simply for changes sake, but we use every tool at our disposal to further the goals of Christian education.

As Christian educators consider modern innovation, the pace of adoption often makes us unsettled. We prefer to take our time to determine carefully whether or not this innovation can achieve the mission of Christian education, and we weigh its value against our theological convictions. As schools adopt online education in record numbers or must move entirely online during emergencies, we feel the tension of embracing this delivery method without getting our questions answered, convictions sorted, or hearts engaged in the vital work that we do. Although some educators readily see the opportunity to reach a greater number of students with the gospel through Christian online education, others wonder if it can achieve our objective.

As I wrote Excellence in Online Education , the COVID-19 pandemic brought about work stoppages and closed college campuses worldwide. In this new reality, online education is more important than ever. Schools of every grade level are utilizing technology to deliver education. Even my preschool son is videoconferencing with his class! As life returns to normal in the coming months, or at least a new kind of normal, professors will increasingly be expected to teach parts or all of their courses online. The luxury of debating whether to offer online education has been replaced with an urgent need to develop the skills necessary for offering online education from a Christian perspective.

This book will provide professors and administrators with an introduction to the theory and practice of online education that is grounded in Christian convictions. Regarding the theory of Christian online education, we will explore some of the arguments for and against it, develop a framework for creating Christian community online, and consider how Gods mission can engage the student in his or her context. Once the theory has been established, we will delve into the practicalities of implementing excellent online course design, delivery, and program management from a uniquely Christian perspective.

Wherever you find yourself in your perception of online education, I would like to welcome you to the world of online learning. Entering this world means learning new terms, technology, and teaching strategies; but it also provides a unique opportunity to influence students for Christ and advance Gods mission. As we begin, lets become familiar with a brief history of online Christian education and a review of the terms associated with online education in general.

Before the 1990s Christian educators saw the potential to further the message of Christ across physical boundaries through correspondence courses. These courses were typically conducted through the mail. The institution or professor sent lectures and assignments to the student, and the student returned the completed assignments for grading. The physical separation and length of time between interactions made correspondence courses less than ideal, but still an option in rare cases.