Facilitations

We are also firm believers in the value of face-to-face interaction. For this reason our subjects are offered with 3-day facilitations where students gather with a trained facilitator to discuss the subject content and apply it to everyday life.

For most of our Undergraduate subjects, facilitations are optional, giving maximum flexibility to those who need it. However our students have found facilitations to be extremely valuable experiences and they are highly recommended.

"ACOM facilitations are the highlight of every course!  They help to tie the whole subject together and give it context..... are fantastic in that you get to meet other people who are not only studying the same thing, but are often facing the same struggles that you are in ministry!"
- Geoff

"The greatest insight I ever received in my studies occurred when I allowed my fellow students and the facilitator to challenge my thinking during facilitation. It goes deeper in a way that a book can not and allows you to interact with the object of your study in dimensions you would never consider by yourself. "
- Steven

What is a facilitation?

A facilitation is a unique educational tool ACOM uses to help students get the most out of their subjects.  It is not an opportunity for a lecturer to pour information from her or his brain into yours.  The "information" for each subject is provided through weekly study sessions already provided to students.  It is instead a guided group discussion, that seeks to help students apply what they have already been learning through reading the study sessions to their lives and ministries.  It helps students to process this new knowledge with others, and to understand where it all fits together with the Bible, culture and what they have previously believed. Although they are voluntary for our students, we see facilitations as a key part of our educational model, one that sets us apart from standard distance education providers.

"I find facilitations an excellent way to consolidate my understanding of the course material, as well as to connect with other students in the course. Plus get some valuable insight as to the assessment requirements."
- Tim

What can I expect in a facilitation?

You will normally find 5-12 other students there, all of whom are enrolled in that subject for that trimester.  There will be a trained facilitator, whose job will be to encourage your learning and help you all to get the most out of the subject.  He or she will have a variety of sessions planned for you to do, but will also be open for the group to instead focus on issues that are more pertinent to their current needs and understandings.  Students can constantly ask questions, learn from each other, and hopefully see truths in a new light.

Facilitations go for three days, normally from 8:20 am to 4:30pm, with lots of breaks for chatting and relaxation.  They are rarely live-in, but billeting can often be provided if asked for well in advance.  To get the most out of facilitations, students should read the relevant sessions of their subject before arriving.  You should also bring paper, pen, your course information, a Bible and lunch.

"Facilitations give you a chance to build community with other students and to journey together in the process. They also allow you to integrate the information you are learning on a different level and to talk about content and assignments with the other students. There are many bonuses to facilitations but don't forget the most important one- no extra essay!"
 - Sarah

What happens if I don't attend a facilitation?

All facilitations are optional, although we do strongly recommend attending as many as possible.  If you do not attend, you need to make up the same 21 course hours that have been allocated to the subject.  This normally occurs through you writing a third assignment of 3000 words.  If you attend most of a facilitation, but miss more than a few hours, you will be given extra work to make up for this time.  If you withdraw from attending the facilitation after the registration deadline, there is a withdrawal fee that will need to be paid, which increases after the census date.

"Facilitations are an invaluable opportunity to connect with field specialists. I have especially valued the opportunities I have been given to communicate with international leaders, these times have not only assisted my learning experience but they have enriched my faith."
- Cathy

Why attend a facilitation?

1. They allow you to ask questions, clarify uncertainties, and push back on ideas that are presented in the subject.
2. They ensure that your learning is focused on what YOU need to be looking at
3. Thinking about a topic in a sustained fashion for three days can help to change your thinking, finally understand a big idea, and overall make significant progress on an issue.
4. You apply what you have been learning to your own life and ministry
5. You process what you have been learning, and explore how it fits in with what you previously believed, what your Church teaches, what other books say and how it works in real life.
6. Facilitators are trained people with specialised knowledge, relevant ministry experience, a heart for mission, and are skilled in bringing the best out of groups.  You will find them helpful people!
7. You avoid having to do the "Integration assignments."  From 2010 these will be 2000 words for Diploma students, 2500 words for BTh and 3000 words for Postgraduate students.
8. It allows your thinking and ideas to be tested against that of others who attend, and you can find the strengths and weaknesses of your various thoughts.  Wrestling with others' perspectives makes peer learning a powerful tool.
9. Almost always, students enjoy the experience and afterwards describe the facilitations as being the best and most important part of their time of study.
10. Building relationships with other students is incredibly important.  They can become contacts to discuss future subjects with.  Generally, the more fellow travellers you meet on the journey, the better off you will be.

 "I have appreciated facilitations for the content that is learned, the connections and discussions with other students about subject material and ministry and the sense of belonging it gives to ACOM as we learn from each other. I highly recommend facilitations as the hub of each subject; readings, placement, assignments and reflection adding to the lectures and discussion in intensives"
- Lkoi

"Best thing by far is to meet with other students - swap stories on life, study queries and triumphs, ministry ups and downs, etc....Facilitations kind of become like the glue that holds the pages of the book down the spine, keeping it all together by relating the practical application of some of the more cerebral content.  It's helpful to hear from the experiences of others in this way and learn from the expertise of the facilitator."
- Claire