Online Evangelical Schools Growing
Posted by Kushana Torumekia at 6/14/2010 10:24 AM 
Categories: Choosing a College, Homeschooling, Evangelicals, Religious Colleges
Tags: evangelicals religious collges choosing a college honeschools
Categories: Choosing a College, Homeschooling, Evangelicals, Religious Colleges
Tags: evangelicals religious collges choosing a college honeschools
From Inside Higher Education:
Weaving a Christian perspective into the fabric of course design is not unique to Regent, nor is it limited to religious studies courses. While some students attend faith-based institutions to study religious philosophy, many are studying the same subjects as their peers at nonreligious institutions (degrees in business, marketing, and health care are among the most popular at a number of Christian institutions, as elsewhere). But the point of a Christian college education is not to pray before and after class while doing everything else the same, Campo says; it is to make Christian identity part of the way subjects are taught.
source: <A href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/14/christian">http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/14/christian</A>
My one concern is quality control: already some smaller, religious, for-profit, or online schools are claiming accreditation (i.e. how well they stick to state and national standards for all colleges, how much education they require of their professors, do they have an adequate library for their students, etc.) from accreditation agencies they have cooked up themselves. These agencies have plausible-sounding names, but they are not the rigorous accreditation agencies that certify most colleges you've heard of.
If you are thinking of going to a newer school (or an existing school's new program) give it a hard, skeptical look. Ask who (but the school's marketing department) can vouch for its quality as an education. If you are taking a secular subject (such as Business) your faith will not be greatly shaken by Business courses at a non-religious school. The classes will be about revenues and customers, not the shape of your soul. If the school you are considering is far less expensive than others, try to sort out what they have cut to offer such prices (maintaining a massive working bank of computers with the latest interactive technologies is not so much of a savings over maintaining a physical campus, be wary of that the sole reason for tuition differences.) (Also look at whether the most expensive schools on your list have simply added to their prices for the sake of having a "name brand" education.)
If you are considering a religious school for a religious subject, let me ask you to go against the easiest path of going to a school exclusively within your own tradition. An ecumenical school or a secular school may expose you to ideas (and people) who will strengthen your faith (you may meet wise classmates or teaches from other traditions whom you would not have met at a one-faith school) and you will have ready answers for hard questions about your faith. (The answers taught in one-faith schools tend to work best for wavering people within that faith but often mean little to people from other traditions or the non-religious.) It is also possible that in wishing to make your path easy, a one-faith school may omit parts of the curriculum that will leave you ill-educated among your professional peers. (See the self-serving accredidation agencies, above.) It can be too easy to slide from teaching from a perspective (and wishing to avoid difficult topics) to teaching only a partial version of a subject.
Being a person of faith is not easy, nor is it a thing that avoids the realities of life or the presence of people of other faiths. Get an education that will serve you best in the long run, and weigh carefully the options that are easy or cheap — once you are out of school it may take a long time to discover what your education lacked, and it is far more difficult to make up for what is missing. Chose your school carefully (and feel free to change your mind if a school disappoints you.) The education you are giving your mind will last the rest of your life.
Note: I received my education from several religious schools (and from a few secular ones.) My education at religious schools was top notch and all schools can be unhappily influenced by non-doctrinal issues (competence, money, internal politics, etc.)
-Kushana
Weaving a Christian perspective into the fabric of course design is not unique to Regent, nor is it limited to religious studies courses. While some students attend faith-based institutions to study religious philosophy, many are studying the same subjects as their peers at nonreligious institutions (degrees in business, marketing, and health care are among the most popular at a number of Christian institutions, as elsewhere). But the point of a Christian college education is not to pray before and after class while doing everything else the same, Campo says; it is to make Christian identity part of the way subjects are taught.
source: <A href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/14/christian">http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/14/christian</A>
My one concern is quality control: already some smaller, religious, for-profit, or online schools are claiming accreditation (i.e. how well they stick to state and national standards for all colleges, how much education they require of their professors, do they have an adequate library for their students, etc.) from accreditation agencies they have cooked up themselves. These agencies have plausible-sounding names, but they are not the rigorous accreditation agencies that certify most colleges you've heard of.
If you are thinking of going to a newer school (or an existing school's new program) give it a hard, skeptical look. Ask who (but the school's marketing department) can vouch for its quality as an education. If you are taking a secular subject (such as Business) your faith will not be greatly shaken by Business courses at a non-religious school. The classes will be about revenues and customers, not the shape of your soul. If the school you are considering is far less expensive than others, try to sort out what they have cut to offer such prices (maintaining a massive working bank of computers with the latest interactive technologies is not so much of a savings over maintaining a physical campus, be wary of that the sole reason for tuition differences.) (Also look at whether the most expensive schools on your list have simply added to their prices for the sake of having a "name brand" education.)
If you are considering a religious school for a religious subject, let me ask you to go against the easiest path of going to a school exclusively within your own tradition. An ecumenical school or a secular school may expose you to ideas (and people) who will strengthen your faith (you may meet wise classmates or teaches from other traditions whom you would not have met at a one-faith school) and you will have ready answers for hard questions about your faith. (The answers taught in one-faith schools tend to work best for wavering people within that faith but often mean little to people from other traditions or the non-religious.) It is also possible that in wishing to make your path easy, a one-faith school may omit parts of the curriculum that will leave you ill-educated among your professional peers. (See the self-serving accredidation agencies, above.) It can be too easy to slide from teaching from a perspective (and wishing to avoid difficult topics) to teaching only a partial version of a subject.
Being a person of faith is not easy, nor is it a thing that avoids the realities of life or the presence of people of other faiths. Get an education that will serve you best in the long run, and weigh carefully the options that are easy or cheap — once you are out of school it may take a long time to discover what your education lacked, and it is far more difficult to make up for what is missing. Chose your school carefully (and feel free to change your mind if a school disappoints you.) The education you are giving your mind will last the rest of your life.
Note: I received my education from several religious schools (and from a few secular ones.) My education at religious schools was top notch and all schools can be unhappily influenced by non-doctrinal issues (competence, money, internal politics, etc.)
-Kushana
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