Theological Education
Resources for Practices of Excellence in Theological Education
Learning from Others
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There is much that is unique about theological education, but also a great deal that is shared with other disciplines. Undergraduate institutions have been working for a number of years to strengthen students' skills in writing, critical thinking, and ability to work in teams with others. Business schools and service academies seek to teach and assess leadership and working with diversity. It only makes sense for theological education to learn from these colleagues (who often have far greater resources than we do). Here are some examples.
News articles from The Chronicle of Higher Education periodically offer insights into assessment and professional education.
- In the course of describing a new technique in psychological research, "Tales of the Tape" (Chronicle, January 20, 2006, A21) notes a demonstrated disparity between self-reporting and actual behavior, that serves as a warning against giving student self-reporting too large a role in assessment plans. (A few universities have used the simpler but related technique of "experience sampling" described later in the article as part of assessment studies. Among findings: students studied less than they think they did.)
Sadly, some of the most thought-provoking articles appear in the Chronicle Review section of The Chronicle of Higher Education and are available online only to subscribers (or, of course, in print in your library).
- An article on "A New Agenda for Business Schools" (Chronicle, December 2, 2005, B19) outlines challenges faced by business schools in fulfilling their mission, challenges similar to those faced by theological schools.
- A similar reflection from a different profession (Chronicle, January 13, 2006, B20), "Making Medical Education Relevant".
- Former Harvard President Derek Bok recently reflected on "The Critical Role of Trustees in Enhancing Student Learning" (Chronicle, December 16, 2005, B12).
