Matthew R. Gomez, Collegis Inc.
August
21, 2003
Featured
in The
Beacon
NOTRE DAME, Ind.--Millions of worshippers pray each day in hopes
of getting closer to God and to learn more about God's spiritual
teachings. The prayers travel from the minds of the faithful toward
heaven, where, it is believed, they are heard and answered according
to God's will.
Now,
some faithful Catholics are turning to technology to fortify their
prayers and faith lives with the help of the university known
for its Fighting Irish athletic teams.
Through
the help of Web-based technology and the University of Notre Dame's
Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP), novice students
and veteran churchgoers are enrolling in academic and sometimes
interactive studies about their faith. STEP students may tap into
adult faith formation courses taught by some of the most highly
regarded theologians available--the instructors at the University
of Notre Dame--for rich theological reflection upon the mysteries
of faith.
Online
coursework via the Internet is being embraced by these students,
many of whom are working adults and ministers of the faith in
their homes and respective dioceses. The courses are designed
to help strengthen their individual grasp of Scripture, doctrine
and spiritual studies through multimedia learning technologies,
and as a complement to traditional prayer and worship.
"We
want to place the academic resources of the University of Notre
Dame in the service of the whole Church," said STEP director
Thomas C. Cummings. "The STEP courses available via our Web
site, on video, CD and, eventually, DVD, make those resources
much more accessible to people in all parts of the world."
STEP
offers courses through the Internet for adults interested in faith
formation. All courses are developed by professors from Notre
Dame's Department of Theology, and topics include Scripture, Eucharist,
Christology, the Creed, Ethics, and Liturgy. Courses are six weeks
in duration and require no advanced computer or theology training.
'They are available to individual learners with Internet access
and through concerted regional and parish-specific marketing efforts
by diocesan lay ministry formation departments in the U.S.
STEP
was founded in 1999 as an initiative of the University of Notre
Dame's Institute for Church Life (ICL). Early on, STEP aired a
series of interactive videoconferences for ministers and laypeople
in several dioceses. After positive responses to those videoconferences,
ICL leaders decided to take to the Internet to make the courses
more accessible to people all over the world.
During
the 2000-01 academic year, STEP began offering six-week courses
through the ICL's Web site. But it wasn't until 2002 and a technology
agreement with Collegis, a Florida-based provider of technology-related
services to colleges and universities, that the programs really
gained momentum.
The
ICL at the University of Notre Dame in 2002 committed more than
$500,000 over three years toward instructional technology investments
for enhancing pastoral distance education with the help of Collegis,
which has more than 100 college and university clients nationwide,
including more than a dozen Catholic institutions.
The
technology services agreement with ColIegis includes support for
WebCT, the course management platform upon which the courses are
offered, and the necessary instructional training, course development
and strategic services needed to properly market STEP. Administrators
and educators at the lCL believed this "theology through
technology" approach would enrich the broader church community
with improved access to quality religious reference materials
and respected instruction in the "proud Notre Dame tradition."
Student
enrollment has steadily grown to more than 300, said Cummings,
with a goal of more than 400 students by the end of 2003. Students
enrolled in STEP represent more than 80 different Catholic dioceses
in the U.S.
STEP,
which also offers course lecture materials in multiple formats,
sold more than 1,000 lectures on CD-ROM during the past year.
Many of these lecture materials and subsequent student enrollments
were sold through formal affiliations STEP has secured with six
Catholic dioceses whose members receive a 20 percent discount
and the opportunity for customized course scheduling.
"I
found the STEP classes from Notre Dame to be well prepared and
highly informative," said Deacon Bernie Mileski of the Diocese
of Kalamazoo, Mich. "The class I took gave me a lot of background
and will be useful in all that I do in the parish. The nice part
is that I could work on it at home after my normal workday."
Two
basic types of courses are offered. Open enrollment courses, which
are offered multiple times each year, include "Creation:
Christian Doctrine for Catechists," "The Creed: We Believe...
," "Images of Christ Through The Ages," "Liturgy:
A Guide for the Perplexed," "An Introduction to the
New Testament" and "On Prayer." These courses are
six weeks in duration and are offered numerous times each year
at a cost of $79 per course.
Limited
enrollment courses, which are offered only once a year and are
taught by a Notre Dame professor, last six weeks and include "The
American Catholic Experience," "American Catholicism
since Vatican II: Challenge of Change," "The Christian
Conscience and Ethical Dilemmas: Guidance from the Catholic Tradition,"
"Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life,"
"From Proclamation to Scripture: An Introduction to Biblical
Literary Forms in the Gospels," "An Introduction to
the Letters of St. Paul," and "An Introduction to Sacraments."
Limited enrollment course tuition is $134 per course.
While the Apostles relied essentially on word of mouth and, later,
the written Gospels to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ, today's
Catholics are using the ease and accessibility of Internet technologies
to advance their faith lives while strengthening skills for the
workplace.
STEP
does not require prior knowledge of the Internet nor finely honed
computer skills, but by enrollIng in the coursework, students
will bolster their computer skills while feeding their souls.
For many, it is a convenient way to deepen spirituality on "the
days between the Sundays," when thoughts of church and church
life may be lost amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Joanna
Harmon, a diocesan archivist for the Diocese of Las Cruces, N.M.,
said the STEP courses "open new doors to the Catholic faith,
its history and its future," while acknowledging that technology
provides a touch of new excitement to the study of ancient teachings
and living belief systems.
"These
classes offer a great variety and a wonderful opportunity for
everyone to educate themselves about their faith in a general
society that appears increasingly anti-Christian and anti-Catholic,"
Harmon said. "But, even more, the classes are fun and full
of joy, enabling members to meet new people from all over the
country. The weekly compute forums allow students to stretch their
wings and feel free to discuss their views with mutual respect.
I enjoyed my experience and intend to take more classes."
Plans
are being discussed to leverage the University of Notre Dame brand
by offering STEP courses to other Catholic colleges and universities,
including some of the more than 100 higher education clients served
by Collegis. While these discussions are preliminary, the success
of the program so far in attracting students could prove to be
both a revenue generator as well as an academic and spiritual
blessing for those involved.
"Any
way we could spread the joy of faith and improve the spiritual
lives of others through formal study should be explored,"
Cummings said. "We've received nearly 17 percent of our present
enrollment through articles that have appeared in Catholic publications,
and I suspect we'll receive even more through word-of-mouth testimonials
from students who recommend STEP to their
friends and family. Whenever there are souls hungry for faith,
truth and understanding, we hope to be there to provide spiritual
food."
[Editor's
Note: Visit the STEP Web site address at http://step.nd.edu
for more information or to register for courses.]
