The Formation of Online Wisdom Communities amongst Ministerial Students

Abstract

Online and hybrid programs are becoming more commonplace in graduate theological education, yet few studies have examined the formation wisdom communities within a mixed internet-based and face-to-face learning environment. In North America, the 'suitability of distance learning has raged long and loud' (Hockridge, 2011, 4). Hence in this article we seek to explore the formation of online wisdom communities within a hybrid theological program for doctoral students studying preaching. Using Rovai's (2002) classroom community scale, we measured participants' sense of community in the preaching program. As the findings indicate, the participants did experience community and felt a sense of cohesion, trust, and interdependence as well as deriving educational benefits from their interactions with others. We therefore confirm the validity of such a program and call for further research to be carried out in this field. keywords adult learners, community, communities of practice, elearning, online wisdom community, theological education IntroductionLearning and learning communities have caught the attention of education researchers over many years. Various learning theories (with foundations in constructivist, social, behavioural, etc. approaches) help us to understand how adults learn (Merriam, Cafferella, and Baumgartner, 2007). Within the past two decades, adults have begun taking more online and hybrid courses. During this same time period, research into online learning communities has proliferated. Use

The challenges and opportunities of ICT in WIL

“…The interaction with others (peer learning), identified as crucial for the formation of wisdom communities by Porterfield and Isaac-Savage (2013) drawing on the work of Vygotsky, is a vital component of WIL and can either be initiated through online forums or social networking tools, as well as through the directed and organised supervision of students by respective WIL mentors. Learning communities allow for new learning formats, so that the material becomes internalised, according to Porterfield and Isaac-Savage (2013), allowing the student to have a relationship with it and for the material to become a part of the student's independent developmental achievement and shared communal experience. Creating communities of practice through the use and interaction of digital media is challenging.…”

“…Helyer (2016), argued that WB learners will more readily risk questioning their knowledge and practice if they have informed choices, negotiated control over the learning process and therefore responsibility for the learning outcomes and a peer group community for feedback. Learning therefore is not done in isolation and is more than the traditional knowledge transmission (Porterfield and Isaac-Savage, 2013). Instead, the teacher inhabits a role as a paradigm shift facilitator (Petra et al, 2016).…”

“…Only WBL is attached to an academic programme or course (Allan, 2015). WIL will often involve online and blended learning (OBL) modes of delivery (Cocquyt et al, 2017), multimodal learning (Maclean and Cahillane, 2015) as it allows working adults access to learning anywhere at any time (Porterfield and Isaac-Savage, 2013). According to Isaac et al (2017), studies indicate a positive correlation between technology usage and the individual development of skills, knowledge, and productivity, i.e.…”