How to apply for the fbSBS

Applying for the fbSBS for the first time.

• Fill out the application form here
• Request your base team leader to fill in the reference form. Give them this pdf or ask them to fill in the online form
• Do NOT send the school fees at this stage.
• When your application has been considered, and we have received the reference from your base/team leader, we will let you know if you have been accepted on the course. When accepted you should then pay for your module/s (detail of payment on the financial page).
• On receipt of payment you will be linked to a module leader and sent the key for Module One Unit One. You should then go to the fbSBS site and create an account as instructed below.
• Do take time to work through Module One, Unit One this will help you prepare for the course and contains important instructions.
• Just before the start date of the module you will be sent out the key for the rest of the units.

Application for returning students.

• Fill out the Returning Students Application Form.
• When you have received conformation that we can accommodate you for that time and module pay the appropriate fee (details on financial page) [link]
• On receipt of the fee, you will be sent the module key and the detail of your module leader.

All students are required to obtain the required text books:

• How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart (preferably the Third Edition, 2003).
• How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.
• Obtain either the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible or the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible. Try to get one without study notes and headings if possible.

Moodle enrollment for the fbSBS

Previously, when I thought about how the FBSBS would work I envisaged the use of written material in booklet form like the former SBS Distance Learning Course, but I am very excited to say that the fbSBS looks quite different. I was introduced to some very powerful but easy to use software, with the interesting name of Moodle. To quote the manual, it is a ‘Course Management System (CMS) that universities, community colleges, schools, businesses, and even individual instructors use to add web technology to their courses. More than 30,000 educational organizations around the world currently use Moodle to deliver online courses and to supplement traditional face-to-face courses.’

I do understand that computer based work can be intimidating for some and that learning new software can be a challenge. But after you learn how it works, I believe it will become a friend to us as well as be very useful. Certainly it has many capabilities that we will not be using in this course, at least not at this stage. Our purpose is not to play with computers, but to engage with the scriptures.

To prepare for the start of the course, you will need to go to the site and create an account, and then work your way through Module One Unit One. This will give you a chance to test out the programme and become familiar with its features. Also, you will be able to meet your fellow class mates and get to know them. There are blog features as well as forums and chat facilities.

Okay, this is what to do.

1. Click on the link to go to the fbSBS moodle site.
2. Click on: Module 1, Unit 1: Introduction to the Field Based School of Biblical Studies
3. On the right hand side of the page you will find a place to create a new account with full instructions on how to enrol. Click on the ‘Create new account’ button and fill in the details as fully as you can. You will need an enrollment key which will be sent to you upon receipt of payment. The key needed for the other units will be sent to you nearer the time of the course start date. Do NOT enter the site as a guest, this will stop you using the features that are only for students.

Now click on Module 1, Unit 1

1. Part way down on the left hand side you will find a box with ‘Administration’ on, and a link to ‘Profile’ in that box.Click on the profile link, then ‘edit profile’ link.
2. Take some time to fill out the profile details. Please do this as fully as you can including a photo. This is important, try to have a close crop head shot, not one that is too distant, and please, not one of your dog, cat or snoopy.
3. In the ‘edit profile’ area you will find a place where you can write some text. Please use this area to tell us about yourself. For example let’s hear about your preferred name if it is different to what is recorded, your nationality, some of your YWAM history, what you are up to when you are not doing the fbSBS work, outreach/dts stories and other stuff that would be fun and help us get to know you. It has editing features so if you are familiar with these you can add a photo or two of your family or ministry situation and make it look quite artistic.

Also, you will need to download the Adobe Acrobat reader to you computer if you do not already have it. I expect though you do already have this, but just in case you don’t, it can be downloaded free from here.

You will need to download Adobe Flash Player to listen to the mp3 teachings.  This can be downloaded free from http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

We tend to use skype quite extensively so please sign up for a skype account if you do not already have one. This is free. Go to www.skype.com and click on the ‘download’ tab. If you get a web cam we can see each other too, but this is not essential.

If you are not already familiar with the tables facility on your word processing programme, it would be good for you to have a basic grasp of this feature. When we get to the charting worksheets of the fbSBS, having a working knowledge of this will be a GREAT asset.

When you have completed these enrolments, you can work you way through the lessons of unit one and take the opportunity to experiment with the Moodle interface. If you have questions please do not hesitate to talk to me or Joy.

Just for the record our details are:

Phil: skype address: philleageoffice Email address: phil@leage.co.uk

Joy:  skype address: joyplutt Email address:  joy@fbsbs.org