Breakout Sessions
Creating Deep and Meaningful Learning Experiences in Digital Spaces
Dr. Calvin Chong, Associate Professor, Singapore Bible College
This session explores how online collaborative platforms can be incorporated in both onsite and online class learning experiences. Three platforms will be highlighted and their features and tools demonstrated. Beyond their features and tools, the session will also explore different use cases and invite input on use in our different disciplines.
The Digital Turn to Networked Spaces: Implementing the Promise of Partnership in a Post-Pandemic World (session 1)
Mr. Robert Hayden, Vice President of Educational Development Horizon Education Network, and Mr. Tim Bahula, Director of Educational Technology Horizon Education Network
The digital turn has upset traditional approaches in theological education, requiring educators to re-envision how organizational mission might be supported and carried out in our world today. The concept of networked spaces holds promise in developing sustainable approaches, approaches that leverage digitally-infused communication, learning, stewardship, and sharing. In this session, we will explore how the priority of partnership can enhance local capacity, foster collegiality, and build resiliency to mitigate the effects of disruptions in theological education.
The Digital Turn to Networked Spaces: Re-envisioning Technological and Pedagogical Strategies through Digitally-Infused Education (session 2)
Mr. Robert Hayden, Vice President of Educational Development Horizon Education Network, and Mr. Tim Bahula, Director of Educational Technology Horizon Education Network
The pandemic has transformed our world, disrupting theological education as we know it. While our goal of equipping leaders for the church has not changed, we recognize that something in our educational approach must. The concept of networked spaces suggests a way to re-envision how we generate access, collaboration, influence, and personal care in our learners’ lives. In this session, we will explore how the emerging concept of digitally-infused learning can help theological educators re-envision technological and pedagogical strategies that cultivate life transformation and ministry readiness.
Oral Literacies for Online Learning: Translatable Assistive Technologies
Dr. Cameron Armstrong, Program Director of PhD in Orality Studies, Asia Graduate School of Theology, Philippines, and Dr. Charles Madinger, Executive Director, International Orality Network and the Institutes for Orality Strategies
Explore the trends of research-based orality principles and methods for transformative learning. Schools, seminaries, and other educators/trainers around the world are innovating their curricula and classrooms. The post-modern era and COVID changed the rules of engagement for the 21st century learning. Explore and experience how using the principles and methods of orality can not only aid learning outcomes but also translate into deeper impact in the grassroots where our leaders serve.
Spiritual Formation within the context of online, hybrid, and residential models of theological education: Conceptual frameworks and findings from a longitudinal empirical program of research
Dr. David Wang, Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders at Fuller Theological Seminary
Dr. Wang will explore the contributions of psychological research and the Christian faith towards a better understanding of spiritual formation within formal theological education contexts. He will review the existing theoretical and empirical literature on the spiritual formation/development of current and future religious leaders and will share challenges and current approaches in the assessment of spiritual formation (i.e., how does one tell that someone is spiritually mature? How does one distinguish someone who is spiritually mature from one who just appears to be mature?). In the second half of this workshop, Dr. Wang will present preliminary findings from a longitudinal empirical study on spiritual and human formation (including analysis from data collected before and during the COVID-19 pandemic) funded by the John Templeton Foundation involving participants from 18 Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, and Evangelical seminaries in North America, highlighting findings exploring similarities and differences in the formative experience of seminary for students who attend seminary in an online, hybrid, and residential format. The target audience of this workshop will be broad–encompassing any individual interested in the spiritual formation of students. Time will also be allocated for a moderated discussion, whereby attendees will interact with the presented material and share their own perspective.
Microlearning Instructional Design (MID) to Scale Theological Learning
Ms. So-Young Kang, Founder and CEO, Gnowbe
We have a tremendous opportunity to scale the impact of theological learning in powerful and effective ways leveraging technology. While content is important, how we deliver and teach the content is what’s needed to catalyze transformative impact for the Church. So-Young, Founder of Gnowbe, will be sharing on how to apply the science of instructional design to microlearning techniques and technology to easily create and scale learning. She will share about what’s possible to catalyze transformative impact for theological students through daily bite-sized learning and true internalization of ‘The Word.’
eBooks and Theological Education: analysis, value, and trade-offs
Mr. Holford, Executive Director, Theological Book Network
eBooks are quickly becoming a critical need for theological schools globally. There are numerous digital educational content services offering access to eBooks with some relevancy to theological schools. However, issues of costs, content relevancy, appropriate technology abound – especially in non-Western Contexts.
Due to paywalls, limited information, varieties of access options, and rapidly changing offerings, assessing options can prove difficult. This session aims to share investigations into various platforms and explore the technological, economic, and content offering differences of several well-known services, as well as the trade-offs made by various services. We will also touch on the motivating factors the publishing industry, and technology to help participants gain insight into the various technological and content decisions of providers.
We hope that participants will gain additional knowledge of the digital educational content industry and more robust frameworks for valuing and comparing digital educational content products and services.
Preparing the Future Theological Education – AI, Data Science & Digital Space
Mr. Arun Kumar, Engineer, Trainer; Founder of Waymaker
We’re at the early stages of The Fourth Industrial Revolution, and we can already see what an impact it has had on everything around us. The way we connect with one another, travel and even learn have been significantly influenced by the likes of artificial intelligence, big data and such. How can the church and ministries leverage on these tools and technologies to further build the Kingdom of God, specifically from an education and equipping standpoint?
Discover the opportunities in the midst of challenges and threats of technology in the church.
Understanding and Applying Social Presence, Teaching Presence and Cognitive Presence in Online Learning.
Dr. Gary Griffith, International Coordinator, Global Associates for Transformational Education (GATE)
In this session we will introduce the three elements of the Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison, Anderson and Archer) — Social Presence, Teaching Presence, and Cognitive Presence — and will explore how they can be used to enhance the effectiveness of online learning.
Roles for a New Era – How Faculty can Excel in the Digital Age
Mr.Jacob Li , Faculty, East Asia School of Theology; Member, ATA CAED
Educators in the digital age are given unprecedented opportunities to enhance student experience and to extend learning beyond traditional barriers, including time and space. To tap into these exciting opportunities, however, educators will need to first fine-tune their job description. In this workshop, faculty will learn new roles they need to embrace in the digital age, with practical tips on how to carry them out. Institution leaders will discover what support mechanisms are needed to help faculty thrive in the new era.
Mastering Post-Pandemic Economics of Theological Education
Dr. Emmanuel Bellon, Vice President and Dr. Linzay Rinquest, Engagement Director, ScholarLeaders International
Opportunities to form leaders for the Church abound, but resources for Majority World theological education are always limited. Covid-19 has revealed the complex economic challenges of education as institutions strive to fulfill their mission. This workshop defines the post-pandemic challenges and explores possibilities to help Majority World theological schools adapt to the new era.
Innovating Curriculum in Response to a Changing World
Dr. Perry Shaw, Researcher in Residence at Morling College, Sydney, Australia and author of “Transforming Theological Education”
Under the crisis situation of the global Covid pandemic many colleges took on technology as a necessary means of supporting existing patterns of theological education. Looking to the future there is the danger that colleges and programs will think that with the addition of technology they are now “modern”- even while retaining a traditional curriculum and traditional instructional practices. How can schools be encouraged to engage not only in technical proficiency, but also think about the substance of their programs of study? How might a curriculum through 100% online delivery differ from a curriculum in a hybrid program or from a residential program´s curriculum? The principles of Impact-Based Assessment and the process of Asking the Right Questions can generate new and creative options that best respond to both contextual challenges and the particular delivery strategies that are employed in training new generations of Christian leaders.
Meet the facilitators
Dr. Calvin Chong
Dr. Chong is Associate Professor of Practical Theology at Singapore Bible College. He has been part of the SBC faculty since 1995 first teaching in the OT department, then serving in academic leadership, and now teaching across multiple disciplines including pastoral ministries, educational design, as well as intercultural studies.
He is author of several articles and book chapters focused on changing global realities that impact church and society, youth and young adults, ministry with diasporic peoples, and ministry amongst oral and visual learners.
Dr. Chong serves on the boards of the Evangelical Alliance of Singapore and the migrant NGO Healthserve. He is also on the leadership team at Covenant Community Methodist Church where he serves as Worship and Music chair. He regularly serves as spiritual director on tours to Bible lands.
Mr. Robert Hayden
Rob began his work in theological education while church planting in Israel and later Slovakia. In 2005, he transitioned to Horizon where he coordinates the area of educational development and serves as the liaison for partnerships in Asia and the Middle East. His work with Horizon involves areas of course design, teaching and learning, and faculty professional development for online education. Rob has a MDiv degree from Baptist Bible Seminary and a PhD in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University. He and his wife Rhinda have five children and two grandchildren.
Mr. Timothy Bahula
After working as a network administrator, adjunct professor, and associate pastor in Canada, Tim and his family served as missionaries in Trinidad and Tobago for six years. He joined the Horizon team in 2013 and serves as Director of Educational Technology. In this role, Tim maintains, supports, and develops Horizon’s educational technology and also explores emerging trends. He graduated from Heritage Seminary with an MDiv and has an MEd in Educational Technology from Ontario Tech University. Tim began his doctoral studies at Ontario Tech in September. Tim is the widowed father of six children.
Dr. Cameron Armstrong
Dr. Cameron Armstrong serves as Program Director for the ThM/PhD in Orality Studies at Asia Graduate School of Theology – Philippines. He holds a PhD from Biola University in La Mirada, California, USA. The author of several books, articles, and book reviews, Cameron’s most recent book is a volume he co-edited with Dr. Tom Steffen, entitled New and Old Horizons in the Orality Movement: Expanding the Firm Foundations. Cameron is married to Jessica and they have two young children, Sara and Noah, and together they serve as missionaries with the International Mission Board. Prior to moving to Manila, Philippines in March 2022, Cameron and his family served in Bucharest, Romania for ten years.
Dr. Charles Madinger
Charles Madinger (Chuck) is the founder and CEO of the Institutes for Orality Strategies (Manila). He served twenty-seven years in congregational ministry, and as an adjunct faculty member in the US (Asbury, Cincinnati Christian, and Trinity), Africa (JETS), and Asia (AGST and ATS). He earned his DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Communication from the University of Kentucky (USA). His experiences include designing oral strategies and instruction for issues ranging from discipleship and church planting to widow empowerment, HIV/AIDS awareness in 13 African countries, and civil society programs in Iraq, Sudan, and Afghanistan. Chuck also served as the International Director of the International Orality Network (ION) and has published extensively in the field of orality and transformative communication. He and his amazing Filipina wife Rocelyn Anog Madinger live in Manila, Philippines and have 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren in the US.
Dr. David Wang
Dr. Wang (ThM, Regent College, PhD, University of Houston) is the Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders at Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA, USA). Dr. Wang is a licensed psychologist, pastor, and associate professor of psychology and pastoral counseling. He is the editor of the Journal of Psychology and Theology and serves on the editorial board for Spirituality in Clinical Practice. Dr. Wang’s research interests include: trauma and traumatic stress, mindfulness/self-compassion, spiritual theology (with special interest in the experience of the spiritual desert), and various topics related to multicultural psychology and social justice.
Ms. So- Young Kang
Founder & CEO, Gnowbe
So-Young has over 20 years of experience across strategy, leadership, transformation and technology. She helps organizations and individuals stay human in an increasingly digital world. She is the CEO and Founder of Gnowbe, an award-winning microlearning creator tool that is revolutionizing how creators teach and learn. By democratizing content creation, Gnowbe empowers creators to design, build and share multimedia content in participatory ways. Gnowbe empowers creators from >100 countries to impact their communities.
With her background at McKinsey, Citigroup, and as the Founding Chairman of Awaken Group, a human-centered transformation design firm, So-Young has been a strategic advisor to global leaders across the US, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa. She has been a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum since 2014. So-Young is the author of ‘Inside Out’, global speaker and thought leader across multiple platforms including WEF, Forbes, Davos, TEDx, Huffington Post, Drucker Forum, etc. She is on the boards of Young Professionals’ Group and founding member of SEA Founders.
So-Young holds a BA with Honors from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard University.
Mr. Justin Holford
Mr. Holford is the Executive Director for Theological Book Network, a U.S.-based nonprofit that helps create access to print and digital resources for theological schools in the Majority World. Theological Book Network has provided over 2.3 million high-quality academic texts to more than 2,200 schools since 2004.
Mr. Arun Kumar
Mr. Kumar has over 10 years of experiences across oil and gas engineering, social works, startups, learning and development, training, community building and marketplaces. He started off as one of the first scholars of the Honda Dreams Fund which propelled him to graduate with a Masters in Engineering at the University of Nottingham in Malaysia. Through an on-campus interview which he was strongly motivated to attend by his then professor and late-mentor, he landed a job as an oil & gas engineer in the USA and then Australia, traveling 80% of the time, learning different cultures and demographics of people from all over the world. Arun is essentially a storyteller who is passionate about bridging the gap between technology and society. He has spoken on BFM’s Raise Your Game 4 times where his talks on topics like Industry 4.0, Talentism, Language & Cultures and Mentoring have attracted invitations for corporate speaking engagements. He is currently a Product Manager by profession where he bridges business goals, user needs and engineering capacities to build and innovate tech products. Arun is also the Founder of Waymaker (www.waymaker.works), a peer-to-peer support platform to facilitate the transactions of help within the community, that was built and launched in late 2020 and has since facilitated help to hundreds of individuals and families as well as being featured on several major local publications.
Dr. Gary Griffith
A seasoned theological educator with considerable international experience, Gary serves with United World Mission through its Theological Education Initiative. Previously living in Sofia, Bulgaria (1992-2010) with his wife and two boys, Gary helped establish the United Theological Faculty of the Bulgarian Evangelical Theological Institute, where he taught New Testament courses and served as Academic Dean. Gary is involved in theological education and leadership training in countries throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. He earned his PhD in New Testament Studies from Durham University in the UK. Gary serves as International Coordinator for Global Associates for Transformational Education (GATE) which offers faculty development training for transformational learning in theological education. Gary and his wife Karen are based in California, USA.
Mr.Jacob Li
Mr. Li is passionate about education technology. For almost three decades, he has enjoyed teaching in the corporate world, secular universities, churches, as well as seminaries. He currently serves as a resident faculty at the East Asia School of Theology (Singapore) and is a member of ATA’s Commission on Accreditation and Education Development (CAED). Jacob received his Master of Continuing Education from the University of Calgary, his Master of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing his PhD in Education – Instructional Design and Technology at Liberty University.
Dr. Emmanuel Bellon
Dr. Bellon is the Vice President of Scholarleaders International for Executive Network and directs the Vital Sustainability Initiative in theological schools in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern and Central Europe and Asia. He previously served as Associate Professor of Intercultural Leadership, Vice Chancellor of International Leadership University (formerly NIST), and provided oversight for four institutions in Africa. He is author of Leading Financial Sustainability in Theological Institutions.
Dr. Linzay Rinquest
Dr. Rinquest is an Engagement Director with Scholarleaders International. He previously served as President of Cape Town Baptist Seminary for 14 years (serving at the school for over 20 years) and provided leadership for the Baptist Union of Southern Africa. He is an Old Testament professor and guides theological institutions to plan for sustainability and vitality.
Dr. Perry Shaw
Dr. Shaw is Researcher in Residence at Morling College, Sydney, and author of Transforming Theological Education. Prior to moving to Australia Perry and his family served in the Middle East from 1990-2019, the final decade as Professor of Education at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (Lebanon). While at ABTS Perry was closely involved in the development of their highly innovative curriculum, while also becoming increasingly involved in international consultancy for theological education. Perry has published extensively in the fields of theological education, intercultural studies, and Christian leadership.