Education

Introduction to the Education Focus Area STM Degree 

In short, the Education STM program builds upon the MDiv program by emphasizing Christian education in the home and by fostering the pastor-teacher’s continued professional growth in his current calling.

Goals (Knowledge, Skills, Attitude) 

1. The student will give clear evidence that he grasps the practical implications that growth in the gospel is the key element to any educational effort for Christians from birth to old age.
2. The student will give clear evidence of his capacity to employ different methodologies to address different learning styles.
3. The student will give clear evidence that he understands the vital importance of strengthening Christian homes so that Christian educational efforts at church/school are not divorced from the experiences those in his care have in their homes.
4. The student will participate in a practicum, offering opportunity to employ and develop acquired insights and strategies.
5. The student will give evidence of planning concrete ways to put to work the educational insights has gained with those he has been called to serve.

Courses 

Required courses: 

• Adult Education Theory (examples would be Principles and Practices of Adult Bible Study, Part 1 and Part 2) (2.0 Credits)
• Adult Education Practices (examples would be Principles and Practices of Adult Bible Study, Part 1 and Part 2) (2.0 Credits)
• Catechism Theory and Practice (2.0 Credits)

Elective courses: 

• ED5066 Adult Education as Communication (2.0 Credits)
• ED5040 Leading Teens and Young Adults into Spiritual Maturity: Building a Bridge from Childhood to Adulthood (1.0 Credits)
• ED5022 Teach Them to Your Children: Helping Parents Fulfill Their Spiritual Responsibility to Children (1.0 Credits)
• ED5039 Educational Technology for the Catechism Classroom (1.0 Credits)
• ED5085 Luther and Education (1.0 Credits)
• ED5084 Technology in Teaching (1.0 Credits)

Path to Completion

• The learner has completed all the required coursework.
• The learner has completed the required capstone project.
• The learner has compiled and turned in his required portfolio.

Capstone Project

The learner’s capstone project counts as two credits, indicating that it requires 90 hours of work. It is intended to show how the learner how grown in his capacity to apply coursework principles to a real-life educational situation.

Portfolio

The learner’s portfolio is a compilation of artifacts that demonstrate that he has achieved the goals of the program. A Bible study course would be an example of such an artifact. Typically, the portfolio would be comprised of 5-6 items with the learner’s capstone project as the centerpiece.

Ways to Earn Credits (prioritized) 

1. Summer Quarter Courses in even-numbered years
2. Online Courses (Spring, Summer, Fall)
3. Thesis 
4. Winterim Courses in January
5. Guided research