Gary Loncki, Lake Shore Visitor
(Featured
in the Today's Catholic and Lake Shore Visitor;
distributed by the Catholic News Service)
You might say that Stan Orbanick went to the University of Notre
Dame last fall without having to make the six-hour drive to the
legendary South Bend, Ind., campus with its golden dome, basilica
and football stadium.
There were
no walks from the school library with an armful of books. He didn't
have to worry about finding a seat in a crowded classroom. In
fact, he could pretty much get up and leave when he wanted.
Sound impossible?
Not if you happen to be the taking an "e-course" offered
on the Internet. Students simply turn on their computer and travel
the internet's information superhighway to a Web site which provides
them with course materials they can read from the computer screen
or download to be printed.
In Orbanick's
case, it was an e-course introducing the sacraments offered by
Notre Dame in a pilot program — part of the Satellite Theological
Education Program (STEP) at Notre Dame's Institute for Church
Life — geared to acquainting people with this new way of
learning.
Orbanick
was one of nine people in the Diocese of Erie to sample free of
charge one of the three e-courses offered during the 2000-2001
school year. He was the only one to finish a six-week course which
included new course material each week, a weekly on-line "chat"
with the instructor and fellow students, and an online multiple-choice
test after each section of material. "To have this available
in your own living room at any time of the day— that made
it attractive to me," says Orbanick, a retired production
supervisor from Erie's St. John the Baptist Parish. Active in
the eastside parish's Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
program and small faith-sharing groups, Orbanick says the knowledge
he gained has helped him in his ministry and in his understanding
of the Catholic faith. "The course material was wonderful,
beyond what I expected," says Orbanick, who received a certificate
for completing the course. "It offered a vast array of material
for you."
And, he adds,
it was so easy to do. If you have a computer, Internet access
and a desire to learn you can find out for yourself as Notre Dame
offers six noncredit courses for the 2001-2002 school year at
$65 apiece. All instructors for the six-week courses are faculty
from Notre Dame. Courses are:
— "The
American Catholic Experience" with Jay Dolan, Ph.D., Oct.
22-Dec. 10.
— "An Introduction to Sacraments" with Jesuit Father
Joseph Weiss, Oct. 22-Dec. 10.
— "An Introduction to the Letters of St. Paul"
with Jesuit Father Jerome Neyrey, Jan. 22-March 11, 2002.
— "Eucharist: Source and Summit of Christian Life"
with Jesuit Father Joseph Weiss, Jan. 22-March 11, 2002.
— "The Christian Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas: Guidance
from the Catholic Tradition" with Maura Ryan, Ph.D., March
18-May 6, 2002.
— "From Proclamation to Scripture: An Introduction to
Biblical Literary Forms in the Gospel with Father Michael Driscoll,
March 18-May 6, 2002.
According
to Joseph Streett, director of religious education for the Diocese
of Erie and a member of the STEP advisory board, the e-courses
offer students access to solid theology from a trusted source
already known for its quality. "You have top-notch theologians
that most people in the Diocese of Erie will never have access
to," says Streett. And all in the convenience of your own
home, he adds.
Last year,
the Erie; Reno, Nev.; and Winona, Minn., dioceses participated
in the pilot program. This year, they will be joined by the Archdiocese
of Atlanta, Ga., and the Diocese of Richmond, Va.
Typically,
Streett says, the first week of a course will focus on an introduction
and to see if your computer has the technical requirements needed
to access material. Then, the course is offered one week at a
time.
Students
are responsible for visiting the course Web site and reading the
material. The instructor will "chat" online with students
at a designated time each week. A weekly self-assessment also
will be given.
Streett termed
the course "user-friendly." Words that might be difficult
to understand are highlighted, he explains. One click with the
computer's mouse will take a student to a special dictionary explaining
the word in simple terms.
Along with
the text, students will find "links" which, when clicked
on with a mouse, will take them to areas which offer more information
on the topic. "You can go as far as you want to go to expand
your knowledge," Streett says. Streett says about 15 students
will be allowed to participate in each class. Classes may be broken
into sections if several more students register. Registration
deadline is 30 days from the start of class.
One of those
who could register is Orbanick, who says anyone who does will
gain new insights into their faith. "It's the wave of the
future," he says.
