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click here for the 2001 Distance-Learning Course catalogue or
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Home Study

The home-study portion of the Spiritual Foundations program is divided into two parts: preparatory study before the residential session and follow-up study after the residential session. The former occurs in May and June of each year and provides students with basic background for the summer programs. The follow-up study runs from October through March and involves in-depth of study in the subjects of the summer program as well as opportunities to apply study through firesides, deepenings, and other projects.

The home study can be thought of as the organized homework assignments the students must complete to understand the subject thoroughly and to prepare them to be a new generation of teachers and administrators of the Faith. The home study is designed to take about 5-10 hours a week (20-40 hours a month) depending on how experienced one is in doing homework assignments. During the summer residential session, each faculty member reviews the home-study assignments she or he has assigned.

The home-study program is set up like a distance-learning course, with a website, listserver, and conference calls. It can be taken at the introductory, intermediate, or advanced levels, depending on how much work one wishes to do (the introductory level requires completion of a simple learning self-assessment form; the advanced level requires a 10-15 page research paper).

1. Conference Calls.

Each month, conference calls are scheduled, either for mentors and their students or for any students interested in participating. A typical call lasts 45-60 minutes. It allows students to talk to an instructor, hear each other's voices, ask questions, and share ideas. It is important to keep to the schedule of assigned readings so that all the students are prepared to discuss the same subject together during the conference calls.

2. "GLOBAL" Listserver.

For students with e-mail, a listserver called Global has been set up. A question or idea sent to the listserver is instantly forwarded to all students and faculty on it, allowing ongoing discussion of course work. The best contributions to Global will be published in The Lamp, allowing all students to read them. Those students without e-mail receive a digest of GLOBAL messages every two weeks.

3. Getting Help.

One of the biggest problems with home study is the lack of face to face contact with other students or with faculty. Under such circumstances one can sometimes feel overwhelmed or inadequate. This is one reason the summer residence is important; it gives students a chance to meet fellow students and the faculty. Hence students are encouraged to form friendships so that, when home, they feel comfortable calling faculty or students. Faculty are always available and are delighted to help. The Wilmette Institute registrar will be happy to put you in touch with faculty if you need their telephone numbers or e-mail addresses. You will also be assigned to a mentor, who will advise and assist you.

4. Mentors.

Each student is assigned to a mentor who is either a faculty member of the Spiritual Foundations program or a member of the Wilmette Institute Board. The purposes of mentoring program are as follows:

•      To assist the student to develop his/her talents and capacities through the Spiritual Foundations program
•      To encourage the student to continue in the course, learn, and apply her new knowledge
•      To provide support and advice to the student
•      To link the student to the Wilmette Institute
•      To inform the student about developments in the Institute
•      To inform the Board what the students are thinking and saying about their studies so that the program may be improved

Each student should call her mentor monthly. Otherwise, the mentor may have to call the student. The mentor can arrange conference calls with all her mentees if desired. To save money, such calls should be arranged through the Wilmette Institute.