 ACCESS March 18, 2015

 2012 Babson Research survey numbers online learners at over 6.7 million.  Despite this growth, concerns exist that online theological ministry training is overly pragmatic at the cost of pedagogy and sound theology.  Others question the feasibility of fully online theological ministry training programs.

This research aimed to: 1.Survey and synthesize the most recent literature related to online and theological education 2.Provide a clear vision of best practices in the area of online theological ministry training at the graduate level by consulting experts in the field.

The problem addressed: Research should exist that can guide seminaries and graduate schools on the best practices for ministry preparation degree programs, whether an institution desires to begin offering these programs, or assess its existing programs for the purpose of improvement.

Three unique features of online education for theological ministry training degree programs are: 1.The technological nature of online learning, (learning platforms, etc) 2.The challenges related to theological training in an online environment, (eg, appraising students for ministry leadership) 3.And the typical age of the online learner (adult learning theory) This research focused primarily on 2 above.

Online Theological Ministry Training 4 General Categories that emerged:  The technology associated with theological ministry training online (the medium)

Online Theological Ministry Training 4 General Categories that emerged:  Pedagogical concerns for theological ministry training online (teaching from professor to student)

Online Theological Ministry Training 4 General Categories that emerged:  Community within online ministry training (the educational context)

Online Theological Ministry Training 4 General Categories that emerged:  Spiritual formation within online theological ministry training (the product of a spiritually growing student).

Conclusion Building on firmly established practices for online education and theological ministry training, research was conducted where a panel of experts was consulted on establishing best practices for how theological ministry training is accomplished in a fully online learning context.

What are the best practices for ministry preparation in online theological education?

1. Design Overview  Mixed-methods exploratory sequential design  Delphi method o Anonymity o Iteration o Opportunity for feedback o Statistical aggregation of group response

2. Population Since the research specifically sought to establish best- practices with regard to ministry training in online seminary or graduate programs, only faculty and administrators from institutions that fit those criteria were considered as part of the population. This Delphi study utilized a homogeneous group of participants further emphasizing the specific nature of this population.

3. Sample  Since input from experts was sought, a nonprobability purposive sampling of faculty and administrators from institutions that offer online ministry preparation oriented degrees from seminaries or graduate schools was utilized.  The goal was to find 15 participants that met the above criteria and were willing to participate in this Delphi study. 17 of the 22 participants who initially agreed to participate, completed the study.

4. Delimitations  Seminary or graduate faculty or administrators

4. Delimitations  Seminary or graduate faculty or administrators who are of like faith

4. Delimitations  Seminary or graduate faculty or administrators who are of like faith that have experience teaching in or overseeing online

4. Delimitations  Seminary or graduate faculty or administrators who are of like faith that have experience teaching in or overseeing online ministry training degree programs.

5. Limitations of Generalization  Only fully online degree programs  Only seminary or graduate  Only ministry preparation degree programs (eg, M.Div.)  Only “like faith” programs

6. Instrumentation Three round Delphi method  Round 1 – Qualitative: 8 question open-ended questionnaire  Round 2 – Quantitative: Qualtrics Likert-type survey  Round 3 – Quantitative: Qualtrics Dichotomous scale survey

~Compilation Protocols~ Qualified Participants  22 qualified experts consented to be a part of the study. o Each affirmed their experience as either professors or administrators for either seminary or graduate level online theological ministry degree programs. o As a measure of like-faith, each affirmed the four most widely accepted characteristics of evangelical Christianity as found in Bebbington’s Quadrilateral.  17 of the 22 completed the entire study.  Respondents consented to each round of study and anonymity was maintained throughout the study.

~Compilation Protocols~ Round 1  Create & pilot-test 8 question free-form survey  Distribute the survey and collect results via  Allow respondents to review and revise survey responses  Allow respondents to submit articles that spoke to survey questions

~Compilation Protocols~ Round 1  Analyze responses and articles for themes 1. Group each question response and article by learning outcome 2. Analyze the information for themes based on content as well as frequency 3. Discover emergent themes as the basis for the statements in the round 2 Likert-type survey total statements were generated

~Compilation Protocols~ Round 2  Build a Likert-type survey using the 44 statements from round 1.  Organize the survey around the 4 M.Div. learning outcomes.  Administer survey; Collect results  Allow respondents to review and revise results  Remove items that either failed to meet consensus or that decreased the reliability of the survey  30 statements remained

~Compilation Protocols~ Round 3  Build a disagree/agree dichotomous scale survey using the 30 remaining statements from round 2  Administer survey; Collect results  Allow respondents to review and revise results  Determine final list of statements that met consensus  30 statements still remained

Analysis of Results 1. Religious Heritage  Statements in this learning outcome lean toward the cognitive domain.  Part of accomplishing this learning outcomes was associated with hiring faculty that align with the school’s own religious heritage.  Utilize the students’ own church/community context as part of this education process.

Analysis of Results 2. Cultural Context  In order to engage the culture, students need to engage the culture.  Student-to-student interaction can be a form of cultural engagement.  It is desirable that students can receive their training while remaining in their own cultural context where theoretical concepts can be immediately practiced.

Analysis of Results 3. Personal & Spiritual Formation  There is a certain amount of cognitive learning and critical reflection associated with spiritual formation.  There is a need for mentoring with relationship to this learning outcome.  Online faculty can certainly function as spiritual models.  Students can develop in relationship to one another.  Online students can benefit from the pastoral mentor in their own context.

Analysis of Results 4. Capacity for Ministerial & Public Leadership  Over half of these statements relate to material that can be taught in class in a similar fashion to a residential class.  Students can utilize a genuine setting in which to teach or preach.  The capacity for ministerial & public leadership necessitates the practice of ministry & leadership in- context.

Recommendations Considerations of Praxis This best practices research adds a methodology to the already existing popularity and opportunity of online theological ministry training. 1. As a helpful guide for schools who are considering offering online theological ministry training degrees 2. As a means of self-evaluation for schools that already offer online theological ministry training degrees 3. As a means of training the online professor

Recommendations Considerations of Philosophy DISTANCE 1. Rather than see the distance of online students to their residential campuses as problematic, the participants in this research acknowledged the distance as a benefit (or at the very least non-problematic).

Recommendations Considerations of Philosophy The Inevitable Distance in ALL Education

Recommendations Considerations of Philosophy DISTANCE 2. In addition to the obvious advantages of convenience, such as not having to move or quit their jobs, online students have the opportunity to immediately practice what is being learned in their in-context community.

Recommendations Considerations of Philosophy DISTANCE 3. The reasons then move beyond pure pragmatism when this practice is intentional and not just coincidental.

Recommendations Considerations of Philosophy DISTANCE 4. The practitioners involved in this research lean toward an intentional inclusion of the student’s in-context community as a means of emphasis and reinforcement of learning by way of practice.

Recommendations Considerations of Philosophy DISTANCE 5. Given the scenario where best practices for online ministry degree programs are fully implemented, and full advantage is taken of a student’s in-context community, online ministry training degree programs have the potential to be the option of choice for students.

 ACCESS March 18, 2015