Pikes Peak Bible Institute's instructors are local Christian leaders who are required to have at least a Masters degree from a regionally accredited seminary or graduate school of religion and must be approved by the dean of OBU’s School of Christian Service. This means they have both the practical and educational experience needed to equip students for ministry.

This section of the site is intended to help the PPBI Instructor be better equipped to teach adults in an academic setting. Please refer to the links on this site as often as you can. They will be of value to you. Some things may seem somewhat awkward at first, like grading rubrics or icebreakers. However, each of these items will work when utilized correctly and they will enhance your teaching experience.

If you see a good resource, be sure to forward the link to ppbi@ppba.org. Let me know if anything here helps.

Application Forms
Andragogy Articles
Faith and Learning
Icebreakers
Miscellaneous Articles
Grading Rubrics

Application Forms
Our instructors must fill out the following forms and send them off to OBU (contact information found on the Faculty Application). Additionally, OBU will need the instructors transcripts from all college and post-graduate work.

Faculty Application
I-9 Form
W-4 Form
The I-9 and w-4 forms can be completed on the computer and then printed out.

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Andragogy Articles
The following are articles concerning teaching adults. The topic of teaching adults (or andragogy - pronounced "an-dra-go-gee") has become an important aspect of teaching in the last two decades. It is obvious that adults are different than children. Yet many instructors teach adults in the manner in which they would teach children. This is the reason many adults do not enjoy education as an adult and why many adults are not changed when they do participate in education.

Pike Peak Bible Institute desires to make the adult learner's experience not only an academically satisfying one but also one that will transform them spiritually. An instructor who understands the basics of andragogy will be better equipped to be the type of change agent in the classroom that will produce this result. Additionally, implementing the principles of adult learning will help the instructor become better at his or her craft.

Much has been written about andragogy. However, if one would take some of that information and put it to use in the classroom, it will radically change the outcome of any class with adult students.

The following are quality articles about teaching adults. Please utilize the information contained in these articles in the classroom as appropriate:

Adult Learning: An Overview - Stephen Brookfield (1995)

Teaching Adults: Is It Different? - Susan Imel (1995)

Principles of Adult Learning - Stephen Lieb (1991)

30 Things We Know for Sure About Adult Learning - Ron and Susan Zemke (1984)

Teaching adults - the Do's and Don'ts

What are the differences between andragogy and pedagogy? - Jonathan Green (1998)

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Faith and Learning
An important part of teaching for Christian instructors is the integration of their faith in teaching. This is not just for biblical studies but in any discipline the Christian instructor is teaching. Education is about integration knowledge into one’s experience. Yet, every instructor, no matter their philosophical background, teaches from their worldview and thus, along with they knowledge they impart, pass their own ideas about God, the world and His interaction with the world onto the student. It is critical that the Christian instructor integrate faith and learning so that the student will receive not only the knowledge they need to minister but a biblical worldview, as well.

The following are some articles dealing with integrating faith and learning. Please utilize the information contained in these articles in the classroom as appropriate.

Faith-Learning Integration: An overview - William Hasker (1992)

The Integration of Faith and Learning: A Basic Bibliography - David Dockery (1998)

The Integration of Faith and Learning - Robert Harris (2000)

Defining the Integration of Faith and Learning - David Dockery (2000)

The Integration of Faith and Learning - Robert Harris (2003)

Foundations for Faith-Learning Integration - Robert Harris (2004)

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Icebreakers
The first hour of the first class of the semester can set the tone for the entire semester. Usually, the students are unsettled because everything is new: the instructor, the class material, the students, and sometimes the classroom itself.  A good icebreaker will introduce everyone, will settle the student's nerves and begin the class with some fun. Through a well-developed icebreaker the instructor can learn a lot about the students and the students can begin to develop relationship with other students. Icebreakers can add a great dimension to the classroom.

The following is a list of some icebreakers that others have used. They can be used as they are written or adapted to the class in which they are used. Please utilize the information contained in these articles in the classroom as appropriate.

Creative Icebreakers, Introductions, and Hellos for Teachers, Trainers, and Facilitators (from Business Training Works)

Icebreakers (from Santa Clara University)

Classroom Icebreakers (from University of Northern Iowa)

Icebreakers (from University of Kentucky)

Icebreakers (from Leader Buzz)

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Miscellaneous Articles
The following are miscellaneous articles that may be of interest to PPBI instructors.

Seven Characteristics of Highly Effective Adult Learning Programs - Dorothy D. Billington

What is a Christian Professor? - Joseph Mellichamp

10 Reasons Why the Internet is No Substitute for a Library - Mark Y. Herring

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Grading Rubrics
Assessing the student's work is an important part of instruction. Through instructor feedback the student can improve his work, improve his grade, and most importantly enhance their learning experience. Grading objective assignments, like exams, are relatively straight forward. However, subjective assignments, like papers, class participation, and projects, are harder to grade objectively. What can an instructor tell a student to transform a C paper into a B paper? What is the difference between a B paper and an A paper?

Through the use of grading rubrics an instructor can grade a subject assignment more objectively. In short, a grading rubric divides the assignment into several objective elements with appropriate point values. Then each element of the subjective assignment is graded and then totaled. In this fashion, the student can look at each aspect of their assignment and know where they can improve. They can take intelligent steps to move from a B paper to an A paper.

Look through the following links and use them to develop grading rubrics for the assignments in your class. They will all need a little adjustment but through these examples you should be equipped to develop your own. If you would like some help, email me at ppbi@ppba.org and I will try to give you some help.

General Evaluation Rubric for Papers (from Penn State's Dr. Sophia McClennen)

Example of a Grading Rubric For a Term Paper in Any Discipline (from Teaching Resource Center of University of California)

A website with many examples of rubrics (from Rubrician.com)

Substantial Writing Component Resources (from University of Texas Austin)

The following are grading rubrics that I have used in various classrooms. Each one has seven sections that are worth a maximum of 10 points. What the student earned is totaled and then a percentage is given. Then the point value for the assignment is given. For example, a class has a movie review assignment worth 20 points. Using the rubric below (which totals 70 points), let's say the student receives 65/70. This figures to be about 92.9 percent. This means the student's grade for this movie review is 18.6/20.

If you have questions about this process, feel free to email me at ppbi@ppba.org and I will try to clarify.

Movie Review Rubric

Weekly Response Paper Rubric

Worldviews Final Paper Rubric

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We want to help our instructors with as many resources as possible to make their teaching experience as effective and rewarding as possible. We hope these resources will help our instructors and any other instructors who may find them helpful.