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.]
