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DISTANCE-LEARNING COURSES

The Wilmette Institute is creating a wide variety of distance-learning courses in order to provide training for systematic study of the Bahá'í Faith and teaching it to others. The Wilmette Institute functions as a Bahá'í training institute when it offers these courses. Bahá'ís take them to acquire knowledge and skills to strengthen the Faith’s human resources and foster the process leading to entry by troops; inquirers take them to understand the Bahá'í religion’s claims and teachings.

The Distance-Learning Program does not yet offer certificates for taking groups of courses. It is possible that, in the future, the Wilmette Institute may offer certificates of completion for groups of courses on Bahá'í history, the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá'í scripture, etc., but first the Institute must satisfy itself that the certificate of completion reflects the acquisition of a defined set of skills and a knowledge base.

1. The Wilmette Institute and the Institute Process. It is often asked whether the Wilmette Institute is part of the institute process. The institute process is characterized by several features: (1) a series of courses; (2) courses often begin sequentially, but then branch out to provide many options as the student advances to more difficult subjects; (3) course work is systematic and formalized; (4) courses include the component of service to others. Currently, the Ruhi series is the most common example of the institute process worldwide. In the United States, the Fundamental Verities series of courses also meet these criteria.

The Wilmette Institute’s courses have been designed to meet the criteria as well. The Institute is even included in the institute process by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States in its statement, “Vision and Evolution of the Institute Process in the United States Bahá'í Community.” The seven-page statement describes the basic purpose of the institute process; its need to reach very large numbers of people flexibly; the role of Counselors and Auxiliary Board members in its development; the involvement of spiritual assemblies in supporting institutes and directing the friends’ energies into service; the responsibilities of Regional Councils; the importance of encouraging a wide diversity of approaches; the foundational importance of flexibility in a culture of learning; the role of the National Teacher Training Center as a resource; the use of the Core Curriculum as a foundation for children’s classes in the United States; the importance of not stopping the service of an experienced teacher because he or she has never taken a prescribed series of courses; and the urgency of developing institutes. On page 4, the section on “A Wide Diversity of Approaches” includes the following paragraph:

The training institute process in the United States Bahá'í community is founded on two pillars: the Fundamental Verities and the Ruhi materials. In the Five Year Plan, the National Assembly has called for the use of these two approaches and for the development of new curricula. Already, promising approaches such as The Wilmette Institute, Seeker Follow-up Program, Heart to Heart, Teaching Christians, Book Zero, and the Mandala Training Program, to name a few, provide systematic models to meet the wide diversity of needs among Bahá'ís and seekers alike.

The paragraph clearly indicates the importance of diversity in our systematic educational efforts; it singles out two “pillars” and a third choice, “development of new curricula.” The Wilmette Institute is prominently first in the list of examples given. The paragraph is phrased so that it encourages the emergence of other programs and curricula, rather than blocking new approaches because they are not on a preexisting list of approved programs.

From the point of view of the Wilmette Institute, the freedom of local believers to take our courses and consider themselves as participants in the institute process is abundantly clear.

2. Wilmette Institute Local Study Groups. In order to foster a group learning environment, the Wilmette Institute has encouraged the formation of local study groups (or local study circles, if one prefers the current terminology) since it first launched its distance-learning courses in January, 1998. In January 2003 the Institute created a group tuition rate of $300, regardless of the number of students in the local group, in order to encourage their formation. The local study group is supposed to meet at least twice a month; it chooses a correspondent who will communicate with the Institute on its behalf; and the group is assigned one mentor, who is supposed to call the group at least once per month. Members of local study groups participate in the web-based aspect of the Institute’s courses like any other individuals, completing homework, posting comments to the course’s web-based forums, and interacting with the group mentor individually. Rather than following the standard model of a local study circle with a local teacher appointed by the regional training institute, the Wilmette Institute relies on curricular materials and a mentor available by the web, internet, and telephone, allowing groups to be formed in many more places than the standard local study circle model allows and simplifying teacher training requirements.

3. The “Basics of the Bahá'í Faith” Courses. The Wilmette Institute has identified a group of basic courses in response to this guidance about teaching institutes by the Universal House of Justice:

The value of a sequence of courses, each one following the other in a logical pattern and each one building on the achievements of the previous ones, has become abundantly clear. Various models are emerging that provide insight into how such sequences can be used to create training programs. In one example the main sequence, much like the trunk of a tree, supports courses branching out from it, each branch dedicated to some specific area of training. In another, several tracks of courses, each with its own focus, run parallel.

The “Basics of the Bahá'í Faith” courses are four, covering these topics:

The Bahá'í Faith: A Comprehensive Introduction

How to Study the Bahá'í Writings

Bahá'u'lláh’s Revelation: A Systematic Survey

Bahá'í Theology: Concepts of God, Revelation, Manifestation, Creation, Humanity, Afterlife, and Covenant

When studied in this order, the courses build on each other, introducing basic Bahá'í ideas, introducing the techniques for studying the Bahá'í scriptures, applying those techniques in detail to the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, and examining seven basic Bahá'í theological concepts in depth. But the courses can be taken in any order and the first course is not required.

4. “Beyond the Basics” Courses. Just as the “Basics of the Bahá'í Faith” courses represent the trunk of the tree of learning, the “Beyond the Basics” courses represent the branches. Since 1998, the Wilmette Institute has created almost forty different distance-learning courses. They can be identified as falling in eleven distinct branches or groups: Bahá'u'lláh and His revelation; `Abdu'l-Bahá and His written works; Shoghi Effendi and his literary works; works written by or on behalf of the Universal House of Justice; Bahá'í scripture in general; Bahá'í history; the development of the individual and the creation of strong Bahá'í marriages and families; Bahá'í administration and community development; Bahá'í teachings on global civilization; world religions, philosophy; and Bahá'í teachings in general. Beyond the Basics courses can be taken in any order. They are offered generally once every four years, though some courses are more popular and are offered more often.

5. The Format of a Typical Distance-Learning Course. Distance-learning (formerly “correspondence”) do not require attending a class; they are completed at home. Interaction with others occurs by mail, e-mail, web-based message board, and conference call. Homework assignments are received from the Institute or returned to it by mail, web, and e-mail. A web site and a series of forums (also called message boards) for each course provide additional educational materials and a place to discuss them.

Over the last seven years the Wilmette Institute’s courses have evolved a typical structure. This structure is not ossified; it continues to be refined. The format involves a series of study units:

Unit 1 (one week): Everyone introduces themselves, says hello, reads the syllabus, and asks basic questions about the course and its setup on the course’s web-based “forum.” A forum is a place on the web where students and faculty can read assignments and can respond by posting their comments, answers, and comments. Anyone with access to the web can use a forum; it requires no special software. Whenever possible, the Wilmette Institute places the syllabus and all readings on the forums, or places web links to them on the forums. However, in many cases some readings must be purchased by students or must be mailed to them.

Units 2-6 (usually two weeks each). Students read about 50-100 pages per unit (less if it is scripture, more if the reading is fast and easy) and ask questions on the listserver. Usually the Institute provides study questions, too. A course has as many as five faculty, who post comments to the forums and answer students' questions posed there. Local study groups meet once every two weeks and discuss study questions. Once a month, the group's mentor calls them and asks how they are doing and answers questions. Once a month there is a conference call everyone can join if they want.

Unit 7 (last two weeks of the course). Students have to do two things:

(A) A presentation related to the course, which they report to their mentor. It can be a fireside, deepening, or children's class; it could be a ballet, if the student can relate it to the topic of the course.

(B) Something that can be evaluated by the mentor. It can be the written aspect of the presentation. It can be a learning self-assessment; the Institute has a form the student can complete. It can be a research paper. The student chooses the type of evaluation component he or she wants. The longer and more complex, the more the student learns.

Students can finish the course any time in the next two months and can get a longer extension if needed. Thus courses officially run three months, but continue informally for two more.

6. Components of a Distance-Learning Course. The Wilmette Institute's distance-learning courses can also be understood from the point of view of basic learning components, of which a typical course has four:

The reading component, which is the principal way to acquire new knowledge in the course. The reading component dominates units 2-6.

The consultation component, where students consult about the course material with fellow students and faculty to reinforce and clarify their learning. The consultation component is found in all units. It can be accomplished several ways: posting to the web-based forums; joining the conference calls; or participating in a local study group that is taking the course together.

The sharing and service component, where students present some aspect of what they have learned to at least one other person through a fireside, deepening, children's class, youth or adult class, artistic presentation, or some other effort (even a ballet expressing a theme of the course will do). This component is found in the last unit or later (because students complete the course as much as two months after the official ending date).

The assessment component, where students share their assessment of their learning, or a sample of their learning, with their mentor, so that he or she can determine whether the student has completed the course requirements. Note that a written copy or summary of one's presentation might be adequate for the assessment. The assessment determines at what level the student has completed the course. This component is also found in the last unit, or later.

7. Learning Levels: Introductory, Intermediate, and Advanced. The Wilmette Institute was created to offer courses at a university level of difficulty and quality. By aiming its courses at this level, the Institute follows standards than many Bahá'ís understand and have experienced and it has a quality standard to aim for.

Even though many adults are capable of taking courses at the undergraduate level of difficulty, many do not want credit and are just aiming to understand the Bahá'í Faith better. Such learners often have difficulty finding the time to complete a course at the undergraduate level. There are also a very small number of learners who want to apply Wilmette Institute courses to Master's programs, for whom an undergraduate level is inadequate. Therefore the Institute offers most of its courses at three levels of difficulty. All three levels require the same reading, consultation about the materials, and presentation. They differ in the written work the student completes:

Introductory. This level is designed for learners who want to learn the Bahá'í Faith better at their own pace and without devoting a lot of time to course requirements. To complete the course at this level the learner usually completes a learning self-assessment. The majority of students take the Institute’s courses at this level.

Intermediate: This level is designed for learners who want to be challenged to go more deeply into study of the materials of the course. It is designed to be completed at the level of a third- or fourth-year undergraduate course at a university. It requires completion of a 10-14 page research paper (probably about 20 hours of work) or the equivalent (such as creating a curriculum for one or more systematic presentations on materials related to the course).

Advanced: This level is designed for learners who want to study the materials of the course deeply and rigorously. It is designed to be completed at the level of a graduate course. It requires completion a 15-25 page research paper (probably about 30 hours of work). It should demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and interpret the material. Since graduate work usually requires demonstrating familiarity with a body of professional literature and that literature’s techniques and assumptions, a student wishing to complete a course at this level will be assign a mentor who can advise the student as he or she develops the final project.

Students completing a course get a certificate of completion. The certificate says whether they completed the course at the advanced (graduate), intermediate (undergraduate), or introductory (adult educational) level and whether the work was excellent, very good, or satisfactory. A short learning self-assessment is sufficient to get a "satisfactory" at the introductory level; an "excellent" at the advanced level would require a mentor who can evaluate work at that level, a detailed plan between the student and mentor, and a 15-25 page research paper or equivalent that demonstrated grasp of the topic, defense of a thesis statement, and familiarity with the body of relevant scholarly literature. Consequently, as one can see, the Wilmette Institute has defined a variety of completion levels and thus can accommodate a range of students.

8. Availability of College Credit. Until the Wilmette Institute grows much larger, it will not be able to obtain national accreditation as an official, recognized institution of higher education. Until such time, it is not authorized to grant official university credit for its courses. However, it has been able to work out an agreement with one institution of higher education: Capella University, which has agreed that courses taken through the Wilmette Institute may be counted toward any of Capella's masters or doctoral degree programs if the student enrolls in that institution.

Two Spiritual Foundations students and at least three distance-learning course students have petitioned their own universities for credit for their Wilmette Institute course work. Most universities are willing to grant credit for "life experience," especially if it has been acquired systematically. When the students presented the syllabus and the homework assignments of the course they took, the universities agreed to give them undergraduate credit. Students wishing to acquire credit from their universities are advised to contact the Wilmette Institute, which can assist them in their effort.

9. Financial Aid. The Wilmette Institute encourages students having difficulty paying their tuition to contact the Institute for information and advice. The Institute can work out an installment payment plan for students unable to pay the entire tuition at once. Many students seek scholarships from local Spiritual Assemblies; the Institute can write a letter describing the student’s need if it is helpful. The Institute is able to provide some scholarships, totaling ten to fifty percent of a course’s tuition. Financial aid is available to all, regardless of race, sex, religion, or nationality, although students who have already taken one course and demonstrated their ability to complete the Institute’s requirements receive preference if funds are short. If a student feels she needs assistance, please write the registrar stating (1) the reason for the need and (2) the amount needed.

10. Policies about Incomplete Work. The Wilmette Institute exists to assist students to become better teachers and administrators of the Bahá'í Faith through systematic and formal study of the Faith. If students are taking a course for university credit, academic standards of quality are essential to the Institute's expectations. Students who do not complete a course by the ending date are given an incomplete. Like most universities, the Wilmette Institute will give a student a year to complete a course before the grading record is permanently closed. Additional extensions may be considered. Since courses are independent of each other, an incomplete in one course does not prevent a student from taking another course.

11. Collaboration with Fellow Students. Collaboration on the completion of homework exercises is encouraged. Individual final projects, however, should be submitted, so that a record of each student's learning can be made. For example, two students could conduct a fireside or deepening together, but each should turn in a form about the event.

12. Refund Policies. Because there is an initial investment of office time to register a student for a course, add him or her to the forum, assign him or her a faculty mentor, and set up the student's grading records, the Wilmette Institute does not offer a full refund, though exceptions may be made in cases of emergency or hardship. The Institute usually offers a three-quarters refund instead. As the course progresses, less and less of a refund can be offered, because the student has been provided with services. Usually after three weeks only a 50 percent refund is available, and after six weeks, none.

13. Types of Faculty. Most Wilmette Institute courses are taught by several instructors working together. Students thus benefit from the perspective and experience of more than one instructor. Faculty are divided into three types:

A. Faculty Administrator. Every course has one faculty administrator, the person who is ultimately in charge of the course. The faculty administrator generally also serves as a faculty mentor.

B. Faculty Mentors. Every student is assigned to a faculty mentor who evaluates the student's assignments, watches the student's progress toward completing the course, and answers questions about the course. Students are advised to call or e-mail their faculty mentor monthly with a brief report about their progress.

C. Faculty Consultants. Faculty consultants are faculty who have no students to advise but who help answer questions, contribute to the discussions on the listserver, and provide written materials to enhance learning.

In addition, from time to time Wilmette Institute courses include discussants, persons who are neither students nor faculty, who are invited to participate in a course and contribute to the forums.

WILMETTE INSTITUTE ENDOWMENTS

To guarantee its long-term stability, the Wilmette Institute has established four endowment funds:

1. Scholarship Endowment. Out of its interest, this endowment provides scholarship monies to needy students.

2. Orlando Nuñez Memorial Fund. Orlando Nuñez was a student of the Spiritual Foundations for a Global Civilization program during its first residential session in 1996. He died in an automobile accident in November 1996. To remember his devotion to teaching the Faith, the Executive Board has established a fund in his name, which gives scholarship money to needy students.

3. Development Endowment. This endowment supplies an annual fund for creating new courses, expanding the Institute's facilities, and meeting other needs.

4. Faculty Endowment. In its Ridván 1997 message to the Bahá'í world, the Universal House of Justice noted that "just as one deputizes another to teach in one's stead by covering the expenses of a pioneer or traveling teacher, one can deputize a teacher serving in an institute, who is, of course, a teacher of teachers. To do so, one may make contributions to the Continental Fund, as well as the Local, National, and International Funds, earmarked for this purpose." In response, the Wilmette Institute Executive Board has created an endowment to cover the costs of its faculty.

The Wilmette Institute is also aware that some local Spiritual Assemblies have established scholarship funds to assist students wishing to take the Institute’s courses.

The Wilmette Institute Board sends out a fund-raising letter once or twice a year, thereby guaranteeing it a steady flow of support for the Institute's expansion. Eventually additional endowments will be established to meet more specialized needs. Contributions to Wilmette Institute funds are tax deductible; checks should be made out to the National Bahá'í Fund with a "wish, hope, or desire" expressed that the money might be put toward the endowment funds. The check should then be sent to the Wilmette Institute to ensure proper processing.

Wilmette Institute
1233 Central St.
Wilmette, IL 60201
877-WILMETTE (877-945-6388)
847-733-3563 (FAX)
info@wilmetteinstitute.org