© 1999 Dorothy Elder
© 1999 Urantia Association International (IUA)
The first semester of the Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS), ended on December 6, 1999, having presented eight classes, to readers speaking or understanding English, many countries around the world. My first assessment of the first semester of the UBIS program is that it was a great success. We had 100% registered in all classes. Careful planning and a lot of attention to technical details were beneficial for registrations. An efficient operating system has been developed, and this is the cornerstone of the program’s success. From the beginning, readers have attached great interest to it. I received inquiries almost every day. Our courses have been given to students from South America, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and in particular a young Moscow reader in Russia.
Comments from Al Lockett from the UBIS Thought Adjuster course.
“The Urantia Book Internet School (UBIS) provides a real opportunity to study a given Urantia Book topic in depth, beyond the usual study group framework. It presents new readers, as well as those with greater experience, with a more comprehensive means of gaining a deeper understanding of a variety of subjects. With the guidance of an experienced teacher-facilitator, the thought-provoking questions and collaborative classroom atmosphere allow UBIS to provide highly valued resources and means of expression for all. the readers.
“New readers benefited from the insight and knowledge brought to the discussion by experienced readers who had lived longer in contact with the Book. Experienced readers have gained new perspectives and a way to express their understanding of the text, and it provides them with a background against which to measure their current level of knowledge.
“As a teacher-facilitator, I tried to ask questions that would provoke responses from students that were not just words in a book, but required a deeper thought process and the ability to express this thought process by manifesting itself with analogies, metaphors and examples. This technique allowed for meaningful discussions and provided a means for expanding knowledge, as the students’ responses clearly revealed the varied knowledge and perspectives of a given topic. The idea was to create a meaningful and rich knowledge experience, living and sharing this magnificent revelation. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this magnificent and important effort. I learned a lot and look forward to improving the Thought Adjuster class and preparing for other classes. ”
Comments from Jerry Prentice about the UBIS Personality course.
“The subject — the study of Personality — was probably too deep for the first class of the Internet School. We are informed in no uncertain terms that personality is beyond mortal comprehension. But this was a higher level course, and after all, the Book was written about 65 years ago. We have certainly evolved — lethal capabilities have expanded — in that time. Anyway, the first subject offered by the school was Personality.
“The students on the course were a diverse group both geographically and in knowledge of The Urantia Book. A young engineer from Moscow who has not yet finished the Book, a long-time reader from Hawaii, a reader from Maine, and a very close reader — my wife — were all among those reading; studied, thought and contributed to the success of the course.
“We lost a few students along the way — not on the house worlds, but having left the course. Either the class was too difficult for them, or they had underestimated the time required, or they had a major personal reason. However, most of those who started the course were able to complete it. The Personality class will be offered again so that those who were unable to complete it, as well as other students, will have the opportunity to complete the course.
“Reports and informal comments made by students during the course and at the end of the class reveal that they found the courses difficult, thought-provoking and even revealing. In summary, it broadens their understanding of personality as presented in The Urantia Book. However, to be more specific, other responses expressed or implied were: surprise at the breadth required for reading and depth of thought; the frustration when asked to understand and express the concepts of something that we are clearly told is beyond our comprehension; the shock it produces when they are asked to write two or three pages on this elusive subject; and the desire to have a means by which these things could be discussed more deeply and in a more personal way. Being an experienced teacher, I understood all these reactions as positive or even complementary.
“I found this experience of teaching a class enjoyable, rewarding, educational, inspiring, much easier and less time consuming than I would have expected. I had already drawn up a detailed outline of the course and references, so the assignments were more easily communicated to the students. Thanks to the careful preparations of Dorothy Elder’s school format and the technical arrangements of Jay Peregrine, logistical problems were few and insignificant. I hope to lead other classes in the future.”
Plans are now underway to establish the Finnish, French and Spanish versions of UBIS with administrators from Finland, France and Chile.
We intend to offer six classes in English during the winter-spring semester, three in February-March and three in April-May.
Seven people agreed to serve as an advisory board for this project. The council provides assistance in course evaluation, applications, study monitoring, programming and planning, curriculum selection, problem solving and decision-making. This council is formed by facilitators, students and other people with the required experience and know-how.
Perhaps we can arrange to have an UBIS seminar during or immediately preceding the International Conference in New York 2000. The participants would be the faculty facilitators, the Advisory Board, all the administrators of the different parts of the project and student representatives . The objective would be twofold: 1) to evaluate the experience of the first year and 2), to implement within the framework of study groups, brainstorming sessions and given topics. The desired outcome would be to provide recommendations for a two-year plan.
We are scheduled to begin fall 2000 with a core of 16 professors, each of whom will commit to teaching a course over the next 2-year period, eight classes per year. This will allow the UBIS to rely on a secure and solid foundation. Additionally, during this period, many students who have completed three classes will have been trained in the art of pedagogy and training, and will thus provide a permanent and growing pool of teachers.
The Socratic method will slowly begin to develop. In this way, it will instill in our entire community of readers a more pleasant and effective relationship between teachers and readers. The Socratic method better preserves the way of the Master, and a worldwide dissemination of his teachings will be much better accomplished by those who have been subjected to this method. Our UBIS project can be the first step in the right direction towards this future time.
The Urantia Book Internet School is a project whose service is solely dedicated to the study of the Urantia Book. We invite you to read more about its goals and philosophy on the Urantia Foundation website, www.urantia.org, and we hope that many of you will join us in this project. If you are a long-time reader with teaching experience (formal or informal), if you have free time and Internet skills, contact Dorothy Elder at delder03@sprynet.com if you would like to apply as a teacher-facilitator We hope to have. of your news.