I will be presenting a paper at Tyndale Seminary's 2021 Wesley Studies Symposium on Zoom.
My presentation focuses on some of my PhD research findings, examining the role of technology on character formation in online pastoral education programs.
The research is important for at least two reasons:
1. According to a 2019 article published by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), 62% of ATS accredited schools were approved at that time to offer online distance education (Gin, Lester, Blogett, 2019). That represents almost two thirds of all accredited theological schools in North America.
2. Since the pandemic, there has been an even greater shift toward online learning. In an August 2020 Faith & Leadership interview with ATS Executive Director, Frank Yamada, he referred to the newly adopted accreditation Standards saying:
... we changed residency requirements. With these new standards, there are only residency requirements for the Ph.D. program, and all the other degree programs no longer have residency requirements ... it provides schools the flexibility to be able to do, for example, more online distance education at this time. (Read the full article here)
Yamada acknowledges the heightened need for online education during the pandemic. With the new Standards, even more schools are able to shift courses and programs online.
With the rapid uptick in Internet theological education, how are programs of pastoral formation affected? Even more importantly, how does this educational milieu affect ministerial students?
Consider attending the Wesley Symposium this year. It's free and you might find some answers to those questions.
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