Trip to Pohnpei

After spending three days in Chuuk, I headed to Pohnpei. My main goals in Pohnpei were to teach my eight Old Testament Survey students at the Ohwa Theological College facility (pictured above) and begin the process of setting up a PIU classroom and computer lab for our distance education center there. We began teaching on Pohnpei in January with two internet based classes there: my OT Survey class and Spiritual Formation taught by Dr. Brad Boydston. Earlier in the semester I oriented my students to our Moodle site where the class materials are presented and, this week, prepared them for the final exam. Pictures here are from the restaurant where I met with OTC administration.

We are also setting up a distance education center in Kolonia in partnership with the New Tokyo Medical College at the other end of the main island in Pohnpei. This will allow more Pohnpeians access to our programs. NTMC is partnering with PIU so that we can help them train medical personnel and medical missionaries for the islands. PIU will provide their undergrads with our AA programs to provide the basic general education for the NTMC medical bachelor degrees. One longer term plan is that we will provide our Master of Arts in Religion program to their medical graduates to prepare them for medical missions. The idea of Micronesian doctors going out as medical missionaries is very exciting.

On the left are the students in the library classroom. On the right is the room we are planning to convert to our PIU computer center and DE classroom at Ohwa. The plan is to deliver the classes by interactive on-line video connection.