While waiting for the school to re-open, students at the Shandong Theological Seminary have been taught online for the past seven weeks.
The seminary held an online meeting on March 31, 2020 during which its teachers shared their online teaching experiences and discussed the difference between online and traditional teaching, according to Shandong Christian Council & Three-Self Patriotic Movement (CC&TSPM).
First, Rev. Wang Mengkun, general secretary of Shandong CC, gave a general introduction to online teaching at Shandong Theological Seminary. There are two main methods for online teaching at the seminary: one is to use the "webcast class" method; the other is to use audio recordings and broadcasts in which teachers send class outlines and PPT courseware to students in advance.
Second, four co-workers shared the difficulties and solutions from their own online teaching situation. The advantage of online teaching is that live video and audio from the teachers can be replayed, paused, fast forwarded and repeated, adding flexibility and convenience to the learning experience. The disadvantage is the lack of a classroom atmosphere with face-to-face lectures. Students are unable to concentrate, are often distracted, and the effectiveness of the class is limited. The co-workers also put forward some valuable suggestions, such as having students and teachers interact using microphones or other audio and voice media during the class.
Then, Dr. Li Hongyu, vice chairman and vice president of Shandong CC&TSPM and executive deputy dean of the seminary, advised and encouraged co-workers on the theme of "Reflections and Practice of Online Teaching During the Epidemic." As a theological educator in the face of the new coronavirus, the sense of mission and sense of responsibility is stronger than ever before. In this special period, teachers need to be the guardians of their students' lives, their companions, providers of information resources, spiritual raisers, and guides for life.
Shandong CC&TSPM and Shandong Theological Seminary will introduce computer software and network capabilities in order to improve the current quality of distance learning.
