Moore College is breaking more than the part-time barrier, adding online access to courses that will prove a boon for isolated students.
Simon Hodsden, who has been hospitalised for over a year, will be one of the first to take advantage of this development.
Mr Hodsden suffered a high level spinal cord injury while mountain biking, which left him with limited mobility in his left hand only.
"I find it very difficult to handle a physical book, whereas online I can use special software to read the notes and post messages through voice recognition," Simon explained.
Moore Theological College is offering an Online Learning Environment (OLE) for its popular PTC distance course, including a free demonstration unit of study titled Interpreting the Bible.
Mr Hodsden says the OLE will go further than education, giving him an opportunity to join an online community of students.
"My church family was wonderful with visits, but I was missing a regular Bible study. The OLE gives me a group I can join from hospital."
Mr Hodsden was introduced to the OLE by Tim Manton, a church friend who was participating in a weekly study group.
"When the group was asked to review an early version of the OLE, I thought this would help Simon get involved," Tim said.
More than an education
"Studying alone is probably the toughest part of the PTC courses," said Martin Olmos, Online Developer.
"Learning in community is a core value at Moore, and online technologies allow us to host a learning community where students can raise questions and share their reflections. Simon's story illustrates the OLE's potential."
Student feedback from a successful pilot suggests it is a great support to their learning, with one noting "I can’t tell you how very helpful I’ve found the OLE, learning from the insights and perspectives shared by others and feeling part of a learning community."
Moore’s OLE include:
"¢ online quizzes to help students check their understanding
"¢ eReadings (e.g. articles from the New Bible Dictionary)
"¢ discussion forums where students can ask questions and share thoughts
"¢ interactive maps
"¢ Bible passage lookups
Rev Gary Nelson, Director of the Department of External Studies, sees an international role for the OLE.
"It will help us serve the growing church in the developing world. The PTC units have already been translated into Spanish and Chinese, and we hope to offer online delivery in these languages in the medium term."
The OLE comes free with enrolment in the course " students simply need to provide their email address.
From term 3 the OLE will be available with Introduction to the Bible and Old Testament 1 units, though printed notes will still be provided with enrolment.
