PM101OL - Highlights and Lowlights
The final grade was posted a couple days ago for PM101OL which means it's time to reflect on how things went in the course. So I'll offer a critical review of the class and my performance throughout. As with any endeavor, there were things that were done well, and things that could have been done better. Without pulling any punches, here are my highlights and lowlights.
PM101OL - Spiritual Life
There are a lot of different ways to evaluate a class and my intention is to be as objective as possible. However, it's also important to gauge how subjectively valuable the course was to me personally and how much it contributes to my personal goals in attending DTS. So this breakdown will cover the gamut in terms of criteria
I'll be very honest up front. Out of all the classes I've taken at DTS thus far (and for that matter in my engineering degrees), this was without a doubt my least favorite. That's harsh you say - wait it gets even more confounding... This class had some of the best teaching, practical learning, and personal application out of all the classes I've ever taken. It's like academic motion-sickness - my brain is simultaneously saying this is great - and this really stinks at the same time. I honestly have a hard time qualifying what I've just experienced - but I'll try. Just be warned this post may end up being quite a long read.
I'll be very honest up front. Out of all the classes I've taken at DTS thus far (and for that matter in my engineering degrees), this was without a doubt my least favorite. That's harsh you say - wait it gets even more confounding... This class had some of the best teaching, practical learning, and personal application out of all the classes I've ever taken. It's like academic motion-sickness - my brain is simultaneously saying this is great - and this really stinks at the same time. I honestly have a hard time qualifying what I've just experienced - but I'll try. Just be warned this post may end up being quite a long read.
Professor: Dr. Anderson did a great job building the material for this course. It's a course that forces us to think at both macro and micro levels when we talk about spirituality and he does a great job with defining our 'quest for a life that is spiritual.' His lectures are thought-provoking and humbling. And it's obvious that he is very passionate about what he teaches. Dr. Anderson moves very fast through the material but scores major points by constantly tying all the elements of teaching together through constant repetition - and with the larger motif of Scripture. His enthusiasm and pace can be a bit draining, but by the midpoint of the course, you find yourself in its rhythm where you'll be able to really soak up the topics. Dr. Anderson does warn students that his course is structured differently from other courses by design and that we need to ensure we understand that clearly in order to get the most of it. I'll talk more about the structure in a bit.
Texts: There are three primary texts in the course; The Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll, He That Is Spiritual by Lewis Sperry Chafer, and Desiring the Kingdom by James K.A. Smith. Additionally, there are a number of articles to read which factor into a number of the discussions that take place during the course. Smith's book is the primary text that we are intended to focus on in terms of our learning. While I didn't particularly disagree with any of the points Smith makes, I really wasn't a fan of the book. I think his main argument was valid and he could have been a lot more pity in making his point. For me, it was the writing style of which I was not a big fan. So I did suffer through the discussions a bit but this was more a personal preference issue. I did like both the texts by Swindoll and Chafer and felt those really aided the learning and discussions - more practically than Smith's.
Online Format: OK, this is where the wheels really fell off the bus for me. Taking this course is an exercise in personal discipline. This is a class that is designed to be taken in person so the online format felt a bit like trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole. One of the advantages of taking a class online is to have the ability to arrange my learning around everything else going on in my life (family, work, church, etc.). The structure of this course destroys that freedom. The modules are time locked so not only are you precluded from working ahead, you can't even see what's ahead. That adds no small amount of stress to try to keep up. Additionally, the due dates for the assignments run on consecutive days, so many modules have work to be done by Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (CET timezone) during the week. This was very painful for me as an online student - and I REALLY didn't like this structure.
One really cool thing however about the class format was the requirement to attend five WebEx sessions with the broader class. These were graded discussions which did compel us to contribute, but unlike any other class I've taken thus far, I got to really know my fellow classmates and I developed a few really nice friendships with my peers. In an online education format, this is truly an outstanding accomplishment.
So overall, I had mixed feelings about the online format - good and bad.
One really cool thing however about the class format was the requirement to attend five WebEx sessions with the broader class. These were graded discussions which did compel us to contribute, but unlike any other class I've taken thus far, I got to really know my fellow classmates and I developed a few really nice friendships with my peers. In an online education format, this is truly an outstanding accomplishment.
So overall, I had mixed feelings about the online format - good and bad.
Graduate Teaching Assistant: Had a very good GTA for the course who moderated our WebEx sessions well and was engaged with us throughout the course. There was a modicum of graciousness that needed to be extended to the GTA this semester for circumstances outside of his control, so it suffices to say he did a great job under the circumstances.
Grading: There were a lot of assignments to be graded in this course which I'll detail below, but overall the grading was fair but far stricter than in the other classes I've taken at DTS to date. However, it's important to note that this was still objective. We were asked to demonstrate that we understood what we were being taught - even if that might differ a bit from our own theological positions. This was clear to all and just a point to remember as we were completing our assignments.
There were five (5) graded WebEx discussions, three (3) graded spiritual life papers (5 pages each), eight (8) graded class discussions, ten (10) graded reflection notes from the video lectures (3 to 5 pages each), one (1) memorization project, one (1) graded spiritual discipline paper (3 pages), and one (1) graded integration paper (7 pages). Again, I'm not counting the reading assignments or the video lectures but I will point out that the video lectures were all un-graded. So if you're reading and you think to yourself that looks like a lot of work, you would be right.
I could write about each of these classes of assignments at length, but I'll be brief in simply stating that while a lot of work, they were all vital in tying the course material together and critical for meeting the course objectives. It was a tough slog at times, but worth it.
One minor point of difficulty was the timeliness of the grading. As mentioned, there were circumstances outside of the control of the GTA which led to some delays in some of the graded work. Again, it would be unfair and disingenuous for me to be critical on this point, but I simply state that as part of the experience of this particular course during this particular semester. But what better class to have a difficulty like this to put the learning material into practice? *smile*
There were five (5) graded WebEx discussions, three (3) graded spiritual life papers (5 pages each), eight (8) graded class discussions, ten (10) graded reflection notes from the video lectures (3 to 5 pages each), one (1) memorization project, one (1) graded spiritual discipline paper (3 pages), and one (1) graded integration paper (7 pages). Again, I'm not counting the reading assignments or the video lectures but I will point out that the video lectures were all un-graded. So if you're reading and you think to yourself that looks like a lot of work, you would be right.
I could write about each of these classes of assignments at length, but I'll be brief in simply stating that while a lot of work, they were all vital in tying the course material together and critical for meeting the course objectives. It was a tough slog at times, but worth it.
One minor point of difficulty was the timeliness of the grading. As mentioned, there were circumstances outside of the control of the GTA which led to some delays in some of the graded work. Again, it would be unfair and disingenuous for me to be critical on this point, but I simply state that as part of the experience of this particular course during this particular semester. But what better class to have a difficulty like this to put the learning material into practice? *smile*
Time Commitment: I spent 5.54 hours per credit hour per week on this course for a total of roughly 11 hours per week. I totaled about 177 hours of work over the course of the semester. This was way out of line for a two credit hour course. There is something to be said that it was my own decision on how much time to spend on my assignments, but as I'm trying to do the best I can, this is what it ended up being for me. No doubt given the comments I've mentioned about the grading indicates the seriousness by which I took the assignments.
As this course is being redesigned into a three-credit course, I'm hopeful that Dr. Anderson will be able to better balance the time commitments with the additional material of evangelism.
As this course is being redesigned into a three-credit course, I'm hopeful that Dr. Anderson will be able to better balance the time commitments with the additional material of evangelism.
Learning Objectives: This class definitely satisfied all of the learning objectives of the course set out in the beginning. In fact, I'll go as far to say this class exceeded the expectations I had around the learning objectives.
There are two primary and important points to make here. First, this class brought a lot of clarity to terms and concepts that we frequently talk about in Christianity, only to discover that we don't really know what they mean and represent. This is humbling. As an example, what do we mean when we talk about God's holiness, or grace, or faith? All these are important topics that as Christians we have rather nebulous and surface level understanding of.
Second, tucked into this class was a DISC personality profile. I really appreciated taking this assessment because I learned a lot about myself. I am an SC profile. I like to be supportive and I like to plan and analyze things to keep things on track. There is far more to this, but I point these things out because that also informs why I really didn't like the structure of this class. Delving into the unknown and dealing with things that upset my schedule is stressful for me.
There are two primary and important points to make here. First, this class brought a lot of clarity to terms and concepts that we frequently talk about in Christianity, only to discover that we don't really know what they mean and represent. This is humbling. As an example, what do we mean when we talk about God's holiness, or grace, or faith? All these are important topics that as Christians we have rather nebulous and surface level understanding of.
Second, tucked into this class was a DISC personality profile. I really appreciated taking this assessment because I learned a lot about myself. I am an SC profile. I like to be supportive and I like to plan and analyze things to keep things on track. There is far more to this, but I point these things out because that also informs why I really didn't like the structure of this class. Delving into the unknown and dealing with things that upset my schedule is stressful for me.
Personal Impact: First and foremost, I learned how much I don't know. This is always humbling but also motivating in terms of my quest for a life that is spiritual. In this class, there are so many elements that are held in constant tension which are very typical of our spiritual lives. Not only do I have a better appreciation of my own weaknesses and why I have them, I also have a better understanding of God's grace and the power He freely gives me to overcome these challenges through the work of the Holy Spirit.
I would do myself the most egregious disservice by simply checking the box and saying that I'm finished with this course. I hope in the near future to fully review my work for this course to continually remind myself of what I've learned and how to apply that in my life moving forward in service to God and others.
I would do myself the most egregious disservice by simply checking the box and saying that I'm finished with this course. I hope in the near future to fully review my work for this course to continually remind myself of what I've learned and how to apply that in my life moving forward in service to God and others.
Overall: Again, wasn't a big fan of this class *laughing*. But you can tell from my brief writing how much I value what I experienced and learned in the course. It's quite frankly maddening to have this internal conflict about this class. So my final statement would rather be - this is a tremendously important class that contains valuable teaching with practical and meaningful applications. I have no doubt that the combined course moving forward will preserve these vital points and anyone taking this course can expect to be challenged and greatly enriched by taking it.
Highlights:
- Faculty and staff are highly committed to the students and their learning.
- Online format delivers information in multiple formats which significantly enhances the ability to learn and retain information (video, audio, transcripts).
- This class is personally challenging and requires a lot of introspection.
- This class brings a lot of clarity to nominal Christian terminology that everyone uses but rarely considers the full ramification and significance of.
- This class forces the student to engage with their peers in meaningful and edifying ways. This was a truly exceptional feat for an online course!
- This class helps the student gain wisdom about what spiritual life really means (exegesis of Romans 6, 7, and 8) for the Christian.
- This class teaches the student how to apply the learning in their own lives.
- The introduction of spiritual disciplines is thought-provoking and enlightening on many levels.
- Learning assignments supported the material well.
- The repetition of key themes and how they relate to the larger motif of Scripture was excellent.
Lowlights:
- The time commitment required for this course far exceeds the credit hour designation. This is really a three-credit course offered as a two-credit course and that would have creamed me if I was taking more classes than just the two-credit evangelism course.
- Given the high degree of discipline needed to work through the course, this is a tough class to offer as an online class. You will be very busy and you will lose a lot of your freedom to plan your time accordingly.
- The number of graded assignments is high leading to the first point about time commitments.
Just Need to Consider:
- Grading is more strict and rigorous than in other classes. It is however objective and fair. In subjective areas (discussions, spiritual discipline paper), the grading was consistent and appropriate.
- This is just my opinion and expectation - but I expect that the new combined class will follow a very similar format to this class. Therefore, if you take it as an online course, be careful and realistic with your overall schedule and plan accordingly.
So How Did I Do?
Please keep in mind that I am only a part-time student and have taken only four credits this semester. Therefore, the additional time needed for this particular class presented some difficulty, but this was not insurmountable.
I was very pleasantly surprised with my final grade. I had been a bit resigned to the fact that I was probably going to be finishing in the B+ to A- range, but when all was said and done, I received a final grade of an A in the course. It was never about the grade though, but about what I learned and what I'll take away from this class. I didn't exactly enjoy this course, but I treasure what I've learned.
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