CDU opened its doors to students in 1983. Thirty years later, the school has grown into an accredited Catholic university with full and part-time students from all 50 states and 60 countries - studying graduate and undergraduate theology and pursuing continuing education courses, seminars, and certificates for adult faith formation. Our faculty include world-renowned theologians and Scripture scholars. (CDU About)
Special to JCE by President Dr. Mount:
A former west Texas farmer named Davin
Winger not only earned his MA in Theology online at Catholic Distance
University but, as an Evangelical Protestant, found the Catholic Church online.
A Catholic priest connected with him and became a spiritual guide in Davin’s
journey of conversion. Davin is now a candidate for the permanent diaconate in
the Diocese of Amarillo.
Today he is enrolled in an online PhD
program, and through his online educational accomplishments he has changed
careers from farming to college professor. Davin publishes an online newsletter
called Mary Mail and until just
recently would rise early every morning to perform his part-time duties helping
to manage the online Student Life Center at Catholic Distance University. As
Davin notes, “There is no Catholic institution of higher education within 200
miles of my home. Without CDU, I could not have pursued my dream of an
accredited theological degree.”
Although access to Catholic theological
education is an immeasurable benefit of online programs, there is more to the
story. Along with a challenging curriculum taught by well-qualified faculty who
are passionate about their faith, CDU strives to offer a unique “Catholic”
online experience that reflects the sound pedagogy of distance education
research and a Catholic learning community that fosters communion in an
atmosphere of welcome, openness, dialogue, and mutual support through our
Student Life Center. Secular culture is about the individual. The Church is
about belonging to a community. Pope Francis speaks of this as neighborliness:
“Those who communicate in effect become neighbors…The digital world can be an
environment rich in humanity; a network not of wires but of people.”
Hospitality online begins with
introductions. In the online world, introductions are even more important than
in a classroom because of the diminished human presence. I learn about each
classmate’s geographical location, family, work, hobbies, volunteerism, and
aspirations. Even before classes begin, in the Student Life Center I meet other
students in my program who gather digitally in our cohort “space” in the online
campus, pray with them in the online Chapel, engage in general conversation in
the Café, and upload a photo of myself and my family. In traditional classes, where I can see all of
my classmates, I may never formally meet most of them and learn little about
them personally.
Although research in adult learning consistently
reveals higher learning outcomes in online programs, most online programs still
try to replicate the classroom as though it were the ideal. Some online
programs use videos of professors teaching in front of a class. I like to
highlight the differences and point out their advantages such as greater
diversity, more thoughtful elaboration of ideas, more time for reflection, and dependence
on written communication. These are the basic components of critical thinking that
lead to deep and transformative learning, especially when engaging with content
rich in the living word of God.
Online learning is naturally contemplative
to a Catholic student working in solitude. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI speaks
about silence in his 2012 World Communications Day Message, “In silence we are
better able to listen to and understand ourselves…by remaining silent, we allow
the other person to speak…in this way space is created for mutual listening,
and deeper human relationships become possible.”
Time changes when we study online. The
asynchronous model of being able to log on within a week’s time at the
student’s convenience—early morning or late at night—allows the learner to work
at peak time rather than learn synchronously in a traditional class where students
and faculty must convene at the same time. For working adults, this usually
means attending class at night after working all day while nibbling on granola
bars for dinner.
Online discussions are usually richer
and more thoughtful. Everyone is required to contribute to the online
discussion. Unlike the traditional class, where extroverts generally dominate, each
student in an online class posts a response after reflecting. There is time to
prayerfully consider other viewpoints as well as the comments of the instructor.
Best of all, this is done in the comfort and relaxed atmosphere of home.
The relationship with faculty is different
in an online setting. Although initially it may seem harder to “read” the
personality of one’s professor, having a professor only a click away with a
promise of a quick and thoughtful response more than makes up for meeting face
to face once a week. In addition to getting my own questions answered, I am
able to read the responses to questions that other students pose, which provides
even more information.
Using written language to communicate adds
richness, depth, and permanence to human dialogue despite the loss of body cues
in normal conversation. It requires more work, but it opens up the potential
for deeper understanding. St. John Paul II in Gift and Mystery writes, “The Polish language opened up completely
new horizons for me; it introduced me to the mystery of language…ultimately,
the mystery of language brings us back to the inscrutable mystery of God
himself.”
As media choices grow richer and
mobile devices become the gateway to education as well as communication, more hybrid
models of learning will embrace both face-to-face and online opportunities.
These models will better serve each learner’s pedagogical needs and ultimately
enrich the fullness of the human encounter that remains at the heart of the
learning experience.
Marianne Evans Mount, Ph.D.
Connect with CDU120 East Colonial Highway Hamilton, Virginia 20158-9012
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