Spring/Summer Enrolment on the Rise at Tyndale
Enrolment in spring/summer courses is on the rise at Tyndale.
Spring/Summer course registrations for Tyndale Seminary have risen by 12 percent over last year, 27 percent over 2011, and 36 percent over 2010 due to enhanced online, intensive, and traditional course offerings.
“Many of our students are part-time, and have asked for more flexible course delivery options. Students want to stay continuously enrolled—even in the summer. For many, summer is now a third semester,” said Dr. Arnold Neufeldt-Fast, Associate Academic Dean.
There are several programs running at Tyndale throughout the summer, including a third semester for the seminary and university college, the Doctor of Ministry and Bachelor of Education programs, the Canadian Chinese School of Theology and modular programs.
Combined, total spring/summer course registrations in the seminary and university college have risen by 46 percent since 2008. Current registration numbers show that 45% of students are taking more than one course this summer at Tyndale.
Many students are able to take more than one course due to expanded online course offerings. This year, almost 25 percent of summer registrations are for online courses. “We have made every effort to ensure that our online courses meet or exceed the learning outcomes of on-campus Tyndale courses. They fill quickly, and are the growing edge of the Seminary,” said Dr. Neufeldt-Fast.
Students in online courses span the globe. Many come from different provinces in Canada, from British Columbia to Newfoundland. International students include residents as far as Thailand, Hong Kong, UK, Korea and the USA. To meet these worldwide demands for online learning, Tyndale plans to continue to grow its online course offerings next summer as well.
Some students have even travelled from outside the province to Toronto to take one-week intensive courses which include popular topics such as “The Spirituality of Henri Nouwen” and “Celtic Spirituality”. Interesting course options also included travel courses such as the “Israel Study Tour” which was available for credit for both university college and seminary students.
“The Seminary is not only for pastoral training, but also a place to develop biblical-theological competencies for ministry in the private sector. Summer is a great time for this to happen at Tyndale,” Dr. Neufeldt-Fast said.
Tyndale is looking ahead to next year, when courses will be offered on the new Bayview Campus with increased student services to meet the growing demands for spring/summer learning.