Spring/Summer 2020 Situation
- “Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis: Moving from Desperation to Hope in Theological Education” outlines the current state of theological education in the midst of the crisis, with special attention to schools located in the Majority World. It also points to opportunities and resources that may help schools move forward: https://insightsjournal.org/responding-to-the-covid-19-crisis-moving-from-desperation-to-hope-in-theological-education/.
- “Revised Outlook for Higher Ed’s Online Response to COVID-19” offers a helpful description of the phases institutions may pass through as they develop online learning from the initial emergency response to the “new normal.” The specifics of the phases may differ with context, but most schools will have to make more than one step between the current emergency response and normalized programs: https://philonedtech.com/revised-outlook-for-higher-eds-online-response-to-covid-19/.
- Christianity Today describes how two of the largest US seminaries are responding. The article is context-specific, but it illustrates the fact that the size of a school’s student body and budget do not make it immune to the current challenges: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/april/coronavirus-seminary-fuller-southern-adapt-enrollment.html?utm_source=ctdirect-html&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=22904152&utm_content=709568249&utm_campaign=email.
Fall 2020 Scenarios
- Focused on US colleges and universities, Inside Higher Ed lists 15 possible scenarios with variations for what education might look like in the second half of 2020. The breadth of options can help schools think creatively about their model during the next phase and beyond: https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/learning-innovation/15-fall-scenarios.
- “Make the best of an undesirable situation? How to give students a more complete Experience” suggests creative approaches to meeting students’ needs and creating a college experience that goes beyond the online classroom: https://insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/14/how-campuses-might-make-best-undesirable-virtual-fall?utm_content=bufferd952d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=IHEbuffer&fbclid=IwAR3KGkmdtf6NaI_tS14r2sHHrNXuEQe72TADpdH_4_tTbOCdoKpTVuI8huc.
Longer-Term Impacts
- “Leading Beyond the Blizzard” explores some of the lasting impact of the crisis and ways for institutions to develop new approaches to their mission. It calls leaders to begin to think differently about their mission and challenges them not to assume that everything will return to “normal” once the storm passes: https://journal.praxislabs.org/leading-beyond-the-blizzard-why-every-organization-is-now-a-startup-b7f32fb278ff.
- “How Should Higher Education Plan for an Uncertain Future?” examines the potential impact of the crisis on multiple aspects of the school, including faculty, students, facilities, finances, etc. It also provides some suggested near- and mid-term responses: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-sector/our-insights/coronavirus-how-should-us-higher-education-plan-for-an-uncertain-future?cid=eml-web.
Finances
- “20 Tips for Achieving Economic Equilibrium” presents some basic principles for planning financially during crisis: https://www.ats.edu/uploads/resources/publications-presentations/documents/20-tips-for-achieving-economic-equilibrium.pdf.
- In Trust Center for Theological Schools advises schools, “Open your eyes and be realistic,” in this guide for responding to financial stress: https://www.intrust.org/Magazine/Issues/Summer-2018/Reacting-to-financial-stress.
Pastoral Care
- The Christian Century presents some basic principles for pastoral care during COVID-19: https://www.christiancentury.org/blog-post/guest-post/10-guidelines-pastoral-care-during-coronavirus-outbreak.
- Tearfund has collected several documents on personal spiritual practices and suffering during COVID-19: https://learn.tearfund.org/en/resources/covid-19/biblical_resources_for_covid-19/.
A Few Helpful Courses Offered by ICETE Academy
ICETE Academy has a course on assessing institutional readiness for online education based on the OC Institute for Excellence. They also have several courses to help professors develop online courses and teach effectively online. Most (though not all) ICETE Academy courses are self-paced. Cost for ICETE Academy access is $60 for a 3-year membership for an individual, with additional plans for schools. Some schools may have access through their membership with a regional ICETE accrediting body, such as ACTEA or ATA.
Other potentially useful courses:
- Educating in Emergency, a course written in March 2020 as schools suddenly went online: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=501.
- Community and Social Media, acourse developed in March 2020 about using social media to create community online during the pandemic: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=503.
- Online Learning Design: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=584.
- Creating a Great Course Syllabus, not aimed specifically at online courses but a good refresher or conversation-starter for faculty: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=443.
- Lesson Planning for Learning, again not directed specifically at the online environment but a good resource for faculty as they think about designing day-by-day course content: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=437.
- Wait a Minute in Stressful Times, a course developed before the pandemic on helping students deal with stressful seasons: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=572.
- New Models in Theological Education, another resource developed pre-pandemic but discussing innovations in delivering theological education: https://icete.academy/mod/book/view.php?id=1644&chapterid=474.
Emmanuel Bellon
Prof. Emmanuel Bellon is the former Vice Chancellor of Nairobi International School of Theology/International Leadership University and former President of five other institutions in four African countries. He is Vice President (Executive Network) of ScholarLeaders and Director of the Vital SustainAbility Initiative, designed to guide theological institutions in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia to plan strategically for institutional sustainability.
Evan Hunter
Evan Hunter has worked with ScholarLeaders International since 2004. He is currently Vice President for Integration and Executive Editor for the InSights Journal. Through SL, he has had the opportunity to serve hundreds of theological leaders across the Majority World. He holds a PhD in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his family live near Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Evelyn Reynolds
Evelyn Reynolds directs the ScholarLeaders LeaderStudies program and serves as Editor for the InSights Journal for Global Theological Education. She joined ScholarLeaders in 2019. She has a PhD in medieval English literature and an MFA in poetry, and she and her husband live in Indiana.
Linzay Rinquest
Linzay joined ScholarLeaders in 2020 to help lead the Vital SustainAbility Initiative. From 2006 to 2019, he was Principal/CEO of Cape Town Baptist Seminary in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2018, he was also President of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. He continues to minister as a member of the National Executive of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. He lives in Cape Town with his wife and three children.