Full learning week

Full Learning Week Policy & Procedure

Policy Statement

Satisfactory completion of one "full learning week" of appropriate university-level education/training can earn one credit in the U of N. A 12-week course is granted 12 credits. The normal nine-month academic year is therefore 36 credits. Credit for a full learning week of a seminar and a course cannot be obtained simultaneously.

In reviewing applications for schools to be included in the U of N, one important criterion will be a "full learning week" at the appropriate university level. In a typical university, a "full learning week" means at least 50 hours of intentional learning activity per week at the appropriate university level.

Procedure

We are not being legalistic about what constitutes a "full learning week," as there will be much room for different learning styles and strategies, as well as for cultural variation. Below are some examples of different educational components that can be added up to form a "full learning week" of fifty hours. These are cited to stimulate your thinking; it is by no means an exhaustive list.

group intercession
corporate praise and worship
classroom lectures
small-group sharing
personal study
planned one-on-one weekly meetings between students and a staff member
reading assignments
special interest workshops
book reports
practical laboratory sessions
preaching workshops
language acquisition
drama practice
child evangelism preparation
keeping a journal
private devotions
outreach opportunities
panel discussions
group work/service projects/integrated work duties
personalized mentoring programme
prayer vigils
research projects
apprenticeship opportunities

It is not enough to fill up a student's day with an assortment of activities. The fifty hour goal of learning opportunities must reflect purposeful teaching strategies which can encompass both traditional and creative learning styles, but which together enable the student to achieve the course's objectives. In light of this guideline, the following are some examples of what is NOT a "full learning week":

A school in which there is only an hour of prayer and a half-hour of praise a week, two hours of lecture a day, and only 2 one-on-one conferences between students and staff members during the entire school.
An outreach in which there is only an hour of prayer a day, lots of witnessing and street meetings, but where no other learning activities are utilized that help integrate material learned from the lecture phase of the school and there is no input of any kind to, or feedback from, the students, nor any ongoing evaluation.
A school emphasizing small groups, etc., but which in fact gives little teaching content to the students. School leaders should be aware that the fewer teaching/lecture times they have, the harder they will have to work to actually have a "full learning week."

In summary, the one credit received per "full learning week" represents one VERY FULL week of learning at the appropriate university level.