Correspondence Course - an intriguing beginning.

Yesterday I took an examination in Theology. (It was my second exam in fact.) It was a correspondence course from Moody College, Sydney, Australia. It has a good reputation for well managed Correspondence Courses in Theology via its External Relations department.

But for years I was always against Correspondence courses: there was no live human element. There was no other person to talk to about the topics given. Yet for a Self-organised Learner it should be a natural thing to do. Just take up the challenge. So I signed up and received their study book (left).

The idea is to complete the ten study units at the rate of one a week, then spend a fortnight revising, then take a two-and-a-half hour examination. It is all very well structured.

Furthermore the writing in the taught materials is very clear indeed: concise and focused. The examination paper is structured well, too. There are a few multiple choice questions, then four line answer questions, then half-page essays (five in all) and finally a single long essay question.

All the motivation came from inside me. Ichose to do the course - and that is a key point. The course was not imposed on me. I can defer taking the exam to another term. Just a seventy page study book and me. Remarkable.