James H. Park, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Discipleship and Mission
The Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies
January, 2009
TeachingPortfolio
4. Growing
The Environment at Aiias
My wife and I have found the environment here at Aiias to be one of nurturing support. There is very little of the in-fighting and egos which seem to be prevalent in other institutional settings and it is fortunate that Aiias has escaped the murky soup of cynicism which clogs the wheels of many places with so much gunk. Of course the campus is a jewel and the opportunities are extensive, adventuresome and very educational.
Since Aiias has limited resources, there has been a tendency to place many extra chores on the back of an already hectic schedule and this causes some shadows to at times fall over the tropical bliss. But overall we have enjoyed our stay here immensely and feel blessed.
What Needs Strengthening
1. Publish more in the academic area.
2. Pay more attention to the details of my MDiv advising.
3. Keep better track of my doctoral students.
4. Broaden my lecture style with other modalities of learning.
5. Build up the On Campus MDiv Program.
6. Build up the Online MDiv Program.
7. Build up the Pastoral Training Program of the MDiv I students.
Objectives and Action Plans
1. Use my two writing leaves each year to work on publishing two articles, one in a non-SDA journal and one book review per year.
2. Each term print out all the academic records from iutus of my MDiv students so I can better guide them in the process of advising and registration.
3. Hold one meeting a month for my doctoral students in order to fellowship and confer together on the progress of their research.
4. Plan at least two other modalities per class period which use more than the lecture method to learn. Consult with some educational instructors at SGS in order to get ideas on how to use non-lecture methods in class.
5. Meet with the Applied Theology Department and the Dean and see what can be done to build up our on Campus MDiv program.
6. Meet with the Department of Online Learning once a month to specifically talk about the progress of the program, an overview of the policies which especially affect our SSD constituents in taking the online degree and what new students could be added.
7. Meet with the Applied Theology Department and the Dean to appoint one person who will specifically coordinate this training for these students in area churches and events.