In this course, we will focus on how Christian faith might inform our approaches to teaching and learning in online higher education. This course has a specific focus that is different from two common approaches to the topic of online learning. On the one hand, there are many books, including a few Christian ones, that explain the basic practicalities and skills involved in designing and running an online course. This module is not about those details.
On the other hand, much writing over recent decades has debated theologically whether online learning is a good idea in the context of Christian formation. That debate is also not our focus here. In this module we assume the existence of online courses and examine what Christian faith might bring to how we go about teaching online. We will not suggest that there is only one Christian way to teach an online course, but we will suggest ways in which Christian commitments can frame important questions about online pedagogy.
In this course you will analyze the strategies used to relate faith and learning in online contexts by a range of Christian educators. You will describe multiple potential intersections between Christian faith and online pedagogy. You will identify applications of these intersections to your own teaching and scholarship. And you will develop an outline of how a faith-informed approach could modify your own teaching in a specific course.