Online learning is a growing alternative to brick and mortar schools. There are lots of advantages to learning outside a traditional classroom, but there are limits to this form of education that may not be obvious. In the midst of all the hype and excitement of learning digitally, here are two litmus tests to help you evaluate any form of education.
My guest Dr. Chris Schlect is a master teacher and educator who gives two tools to evaluate not only online education but any classroom and teaching environment.
If you’d like to read more on this topic, see Dr. Schlect’s paper, Online Education.
Christopher R. Schlect, PhD, has taught at New Saint Andrews College for many years. He has earned eleven competitive awards for his research on early 20th century Protestant religious life. He was a 2012 Research Fellow at the Presbyterian Historical Society, and has been awarded the 2016-17 distinguished lectureship for the Association of Reformed Colleges and Universities. Schlect has presented his research at meetings of the American Historical Association, the American Society of Church History, the American Academy of Religion and the Idaho Council for History Education. His historical work includes service as a ranger for the US National Park Service, where he specialized in Protestant missions to the Nez Perce people and interpreted historical sites and material culture for the public. As Fellow of History at New Saint Andrews College, Schlect teaches courses in ancient and medieval civilizations, US history, the history of American Christianity, medieval education, and Classical Rhetoric, among other subjects. He has also taught introductory and advanced courses in US history and Ancient Rome at Washington State University. Schlect is the Director of New Saint Andrews College’s graduate program in Classical and Christian Studies. He also serves Classical and Christian Schools around the country through his consulting and teacher training activities.
Schlect has authored Critique of Modern Youth Ministry, The Christian Worldview and Apologetics and an official history of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. His articles have appeared in Credenda/Agenda, Table Talk, Classis,and the National Park Service’s “Getaway” series. He has also contributed chapters to Repairing the Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge to Modern Education (Canon Press), the Omnibus series (Veritas Press), and the Latin Alive series (Classical Academic Press).
Dr. Schlect is a teaching elder at Trinity Reformed Church (CREC) in Moscow, Idaho. He and his wife, Brenda, have five children and one grandchild.