Global Evangelism / Communicating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World at NBC
Video welcome and FAQs page
Note: The course web pages on the official Nazarene Bible College site will contain
expanded written instructions, including rubrics for each assignment
"This class has reset my thinking and challenged many of my previous thoughts
about missions." -- Thom Fish, pastor
FAQs about the courses Global Evangelism and Communicating the Gospel in a
Pluralistic World
Frequently Asked Questions -- world missions course
"I love the regular rhythm of assignments due Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I
find that extremely helpful in staying on top of assignments. The text and lectures are typically
thoughtful and interesting." -- student response on end-of-course evaluation
"Does submitting our brief autobiography and responding to our classmates' personal
stories in Week 1 count toward the attendance requirement of being present 5 days each
week?"
Yes
"I do tend to be a bit of a night owl. However, in terms of the cut-off time each
"day," should we aim for what time it is in the Mountain Time Zone where NBC is
located?"
Some professors go by the date on the time stamp on the actual
submission. I do not. I know there are night owls out there. So, I figured that anything turned in
by 3 or 4 a.m. was written at the end of someone's day rather than at the beginning of it.
:-)
I guess you could say I use a modified Jewish definition of day. Whereas the Jews calculate days
from sundown to sundown, I tend to count from sunup to sunup!
"Is it OK to submit assignments a little early? Sometimes I might have
to submit the reading report by late Monday since I am often away on Tuesdays. Some
facilitators are OK with it, and some are not."
Yes, the reading reports can come in early. Having some
in early helps the discussion get going.
The only thing I don't really like coming in early is the end-of-the-week summary. The problem
with it being done that early is that it's not really an end-of-the-week. So, I'd prefer that those
not come in until at least late Friday afternoon.
"Will postings made this week under last week count, or do they need to be
responses to material in the current week for them to count?"
I count postings by the date they are posted. So, a conversation
that began last week can continue into this week with your contributions being counted for this week.
"Why are we required to read every single posting in Scribe? Posts by other
students are sometimes repetitive and just take up my time."
Scribe is a classroom. In the classroom you are expected to
listen attentively to what other students say -- even if you disagree or think they're
saying "dumb" things. Each intervention adds to and carries forward a discussion. Not reading all
your classmates' posts would be like coming to a classroom with a book or cell phone in which
you bury your head and only occasionally emerge to say something before returning to your
book or cell phone. That wouldn't be good traditional classroom etiquette. Lack of attention to
what others in the classroom say is not good online classroom etiquette either.
It is not considered proper classroom behavior to speak one's peace and then "check out" by
putting on headphones or getting out a book to read. For this reason, I ask that you not post your
end-of-the-week summary until AFTER you have read everything submitted by other students
and the professor that week. I started asking students to be completely up-to-date in their reading
of other students' posts by the time they post their end-of-the-week summary after a student
in a previous class openly said he wasn't bothering to read any of the contributions of several of
his classmates because they never had "anything significant to say."
"How does the Reading Response differ from the Weekly Summary?"
The reading response is due early in the week prior to much
class discussion. It focuses on the reflection of the required reading (text, professor's lecture,
and other articles). The weekly summary may look at the text but it could also center on what
other students had to say in class discussion or even on insights gained from doing the special
project of that week. Thus, the Weekly Summary is much broader than the Wednesday
reading reflection.
Among other things, having you wrap up the week gets you to: (1) Delving back into
the textbook. Sometimes, class discussion strays away from the central topic of the week. So,
looking back at the text or other reading will help fix things from that reading in long-term
memory. It could even be that after a week of thinking about a particular topic in the reading,
you realize that something may be more important than you had originally thought.
"Does the NMI Central report in week 3 have to be over the Nazarene
publication? Can it be any other regular email publication about missions?"
One objective of the assignment is for you to look at material
available for promoting missions in local Churches of the Nazarene. Therefore, if you are part of
the Church of the Nazarene, you should report on
NMI Central. If you are a member of another denomination, you may choose a similar regular publication about
your own church's overseas missionary work (or you can look at and evaluate what the Nazarenes
are doing).
"Does the missionary we interview for the Week 6 assignment have to have been
a Nazarene missionary?"
No. Someone who has served with another mission board will
enable you to fulfill the objectives of this assignment.
"As I understand it, day seven is on Sunday, and we can, therefore, post any five out of the
seven days Monday - Sunday. Is this correct?"
That's correct. The "5 out of 7" can include Sunday.
"If we have until Sunday to submit all of our responses, how can we read all
responses/postings before we submit our reflection?"
I was trying to ask that you have read all the posts
submitted up to that point in time. For instance, the first person to post their end-of-the-week
summary will not have read any other people's end-of-the-week summaries, while the last person to
post that assignment will have had the opportunity to read everybody else's end-of-the-week
summary.
"I haven't been able to get a copy of the Basic Bible Studies for New Believers for the
Week 3 end-of-the-week assignment. What shall I do?"
Here's an online pdf copy
of that material. Remember that the object of doing this is not to learn the material. The object is for you to evaluate this as a discipleship tool for churches to use with new converts
"I posted something on five different days of the week. Why did I get credit for only three days of 'participation'?"
You did get attendance credit for being "present" five
days out of the week. The participation score refers to reply posts. Therefore, there are two "five days out of seven" requirements. One is for attendance (submitting an assignment or a reply post). The other is for participating in class discussions via reply posts.
You submitted reply posts on three days, so you received participation credit for three days.
"How thoroughly would you like us to investigate the links you supply in your
lectures? For example, devotional studies on Jonah, Mrs. Fitkin, biblical examples of world
evangelism, and so on?"
Think of those resources as additional if-you-have-the-time
enrichment material. How thoroughly you investigate them will depend on the time available
and your level of interest in deepening your understanding of course content.
"The instructions for the weekly reading reflections say that our submissions must
contain at least 250 words. Is that for each of the two parts of the reflection or just one part or a
total of the two parts?"
Good question. It refers to a total of the two parts. However,
students usually go beyond that number since they must answer one question from the textbook in addition to their reactions to the material they read that week. I also recognize that some of us are wordier than others. Some can give meaty, thoughtful, and
succinct responses in 250 words. Others may take 400 or more words to say the same thing. :-)
More important than the number of words -- whether it contains 250 or 500 words -- is that your
reading reflection indicates you are grappling with the ideas expressed in the reading rather than it being something off the top of your head that could have been written before the reading was ever done.
"Will an 'Incomplete' grade in a course affect my Grade Point Average (GPA)?"
An "incomplete" grade means you are not getting any academic
credit for that class. So, it is not included in a student's overall grade point average. However, if
you do not meet the agreed-upon deadline for turning in missing work, then the "I" will turn into
whatever default grade you had at the end of the course. That letter grade will be included in your
GPA.
"Are "incomplete" grades bad?"
No. They give you a chance to recover from unforeseen issues
that stymied your ability to complete some assignments on time. They are, in a sense, a kind of
"grace" extended to you. If, on the other hand, you fail to complete the missing assignments, then
you have only postponed the inevitable and will get the letter grade that was in the grade book at
the end of the course. The two times they might be "bad" are: (1) if your impending graduation
from NBC depends on your completing that particular course. In that case, it will
delay your graduation. (2) If your financial aid depends on your completing all the courses in
which you are enrolled in that quarter, then your aid will be held up until the "I" grade is
removed.
"One thing that I enjoyed about this class is it forced us to get out and talk to
people and learn through interviewing and discussing with others rather than just reading and
writing." -- M.B., Nazarene Bible College studnet
"This is a great course that opened my eyes to the struggles Christians face around
the globe. It gave me an understanding of the real need for missionaries worldwide. It's
still hard to fathom that there are over two billion people who have not heard about Jesus." --
student on end-of-the-course evaluation
What kind of online
student are you? Do others think
of you as Busy or Wordy or Disconnected Dan? Do you sometimes come off to others as
Oblivious or Trite-ly or even End-times Edith? . . [ more
]
Afterword
Online learners, like any group of learners, exhibit a range of behaviors, some of which are
more conducive to effective learning than others. Here are some of the best and worst things
online learners can do:
Best Things Online Learners Do:
Consistent Engagement: Successful online learners
engage consistently with course materials, discussions, and assignments. They log in regularly,
participate actively, and stay up to date with deadlines.
Effective Time Management: They manage their
time
effectively, setting aside dedicated periods for studying and avoiding procrastination. They
prioritize learning tasks and allocate time appropriately.
Seeking Help When Needed: Effective online
learners don't hesitate to seek help when they encounter challenges. They utilize resources such
as online forums, instructor office hours, or tutoring services to clarify concepts and address
difficulties.
Active Participation in Discussions: Engaging in
online discussions fosters deeper understanding and critical thinking. Effective learners actively
contribute to discussions, share insights, and respectfully engage with peers.
Utilizing Available Resources: Successful online
learners make full use of the resources available to them, including multimedia content, online
libraries, and supplementary materials. They explore additional resources to enhance their
understanding of the subject matter.
Worst Things Online Learners Do:
Procrastination: Procrastination is a common pitfall
for online learners. Delaying tasks can lead to rushed work, increased stress, and compromised
learning outcomes.
Passive Learning: Some online learners adopt a
passive approach, simply watching lectures or reading materials without actively engaging with
the content. Passive learning limits understanding and retention.
Ignoring Feedback: Effective learning involves
reflecting on feedback from instructors and peers. Ignoring feedback or failing to incorporate it
into future work hinders improvement and growth.
Isolation: Online learners may feel isolated without
face-to-face interactions. However, isolating oneself from peers and instructors can impede
learning and diminish the sense of community.
Incomplete Understanding: Rushing through material without fully understanding
concepts can lead to gaps in knowledge. Effective learners take the time to grasp foundational
concepts before moving on to more advanced topics.
