Biblical Higher Education Alternative

THE BIBLICAL CONCOURSE OF HOME UNIVERSITIES - NEWS
Issue #5 – February 2, 2006
Editor: Dr. James Bartlett, PhD, PE ret.
Email: DrBartlett@BiblicalConcourse.com
Website: http://BiblicalConcourse.com
C 2006 THE BIBLICAL CONCOURSE OF HOME UNIVERSITIES

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DEFINING THE UNIVERSITY AND BUSINESS
FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
(Psalm 78: 6-7 & 1 Corinthians 10:24)
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Please forward this newsletter to students, parents, teachers, pastors, and
other Christians who have an interest in parent-directed private Christian higher education, business incubation, biblical thinking, Christian classical education, and or
networking to encourage multigenerational faithfulness to God
through higher education and family economic development.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Occupations List and Student Candidate Status
2. Orientation Meetings Begin
3. Review of the Concourse to Iowa Home Educators
4. Education Center Floor Plans
5. Clickable Campus Development – Your Information?
6. Miscellaneous
7. Prayer

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1. Occupations List and Student Candidate Status
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An occupations list has been placed on the Concourse website to help prospective students choose the type of career that they would like to pursue. It is a comprehensive list with links to explain each occupation via the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook. The reason we are providing this list is because many young adults need a little help sorting out the many career options and selecting the one that best fits their gifts and interests. This list with links, therefore, provides them with a quick way to research, compare, select, and learn the terminology to communicate their career interests.

This occupations list is linked at: http://biblicalconcourse.com/occupations.php

Once the prospective Concourse student has selected an occupation of interest from the list or has an alternative occupation in mind, they are given the opportunity to become a Concourse student candidate for free, simply by providing their occupation of interest and contact information.

As Concourse student candidates, they are given free access to the Concourse Clickable Campus where they can begin interacting with other student candidates, students, interns, teachers and other friends of the Concourse. By meeting other “very salty, bright light” families, they learn more about the value of keeping higher education under the authority of one’s family.

Additionally, student candidates are provided information that will help them begin thinking Biblically about their chosen occupation and then guided through the development of their desired body of knowledge and experience.

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2. Orientation Meetings Begin
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The Concourse is now providing a common free orientation for student candidates and their families. The agenda for this orientation meeting is now posted at:
http://biblicalconcourse.com/orientation.php

Here is the essentials from that orientation page:

This orientation visit lasts about an hour and can be scheduled in person at your home, at the Concourse office, on the telephone, or even by video conference, depending on your preference and location.

Since the Concourse is enabling private Christian parent-directed higher education, your parents are asked to attend this orientation. The goal of the orientation is to jump start your family into private Christian parent-led higher education.

The agenda for this meeting is as follows:

ORIENTATION MEETING AGENDA

1. Introductions.

2. Review of why and how the Concourse can help your family accomplish Christian private parent-directed higher education.

3. Student explains his or her interest in a chosen occupation.

4. Student & parents explain their Biblical worldview understanding status and desires.

5. Student & parents list specific people or characteristics of people who they would like on their Concourse Review Board for accreditation purposes.

6. Concourse assigns student and parents to: Collect and list the body of knowledge and experiences desired for their chosen occupation during the next month and update Review Board people and characteristics list.

7. The first meeting with the full Review Board is scheduled to discuss the student specific body of knowledge and experiences. (Following this meeting, the Concourse provides each student with their FREE personalized curriculum based on your family and personal preferences, and optimized for Biblical worldview implementation and lowest cost. Also provided with the personalized curriculum are recommendations for: daily accountability, testing schedule, accreditation instructions, knowledge and experience accomplishment schedule, and transcript procedure.

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3. REVIEW OF THE CONCOURSE TO IOWA
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In their January 2006 issue, The Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators Newsletter carried a favorable review of the Biblical Concourse, written by John Desaulniers, Jr, NICHE membership secretary. A PDF scan of that article is linked for your reference at http://biblicalconcourse.com/NICHE.pdf.

My older son Jonathan stated that this was the best and clearest explanation of the Concourse that he has ever read.

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4. EDUCATION CENTER FLOOR PLANS
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We spent some time during the last month drafting floor plans for the Concourse Education Center. We have long felt the need for such a place to exponentially expand the Concourse activities and influence. Lord willing and providing, this education center will host many outreach activities in addition to the Concourse worldwide management operations. This will also house a video conferencing center which will be used to broadcast and develop media events in a way that connects Biblically minded families and brings Christ and His Word to and through the various professions.

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5. CLICKABLE CAMPUS MAP
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The Concourse Campus is simply a connecting of the various homes, people and places involved with the Concourse through multiple communications channels. We have developed a map (both U.S. and World) upon which we are placing green dots for students and red dots for teachers. Upon clicking on a dot, a page appears with that person's basic contact information, websites & blogs, communications channels, Concourse activities and a place for any other introductory personal background they wish to share as conversation starter.

Sometime in the development of this map, we will need to contact most of you for this information. Such information will not be shared publicly, but only provided to Concourse participants. Website visitors only see the Campus introduction as posted at: http://www.biblicalconcourse.com/campus.php

Putting together and viewing this clickable campus map is exciting for us, because it is helping to tie the various people and places together into a convenient “campus.”

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6. MISCELLANEOUS
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We are still pondering, weighing, and comparing the many communications and Courseware options toward having a Concourse recommended standard operating procedure for student and teacher communications as well as course development quality standards.

We are performing Biblical analyses of each aspect of the Concourse as we progress through the Concourse development, evident from Concourse Intern Ben Allison’s pondering of the Moodle Courseware philosophical statements:

On the Moodle Philosophy web page, they have the four main concepts of their educational philosophy. Their first point which thy call Constructivism is, as I see
it the same as what I call presuppositions. People have presuppositions about everything. So when they say - "Everything you read, see, hear, feel, and touch is tested against your prior knowledge and if it is viable within your mental world, may form new knowledge you carry with you." it is true. When you are a Christian your “prior knowledge” consists of the Bible and what it has to say about that area.

Their second point which they call Constructionism is a well known fact and something Dad has been telling me as long as I can remember- You learn something best by teaching it.

Their third point I did not understand very well. The last point is rather interesting in that it is the same thing you do in presuppositional apologetics - Be 'objective'
and 'factual', and defend your own ideas using logic to find holes in your opponent's ideas. And understanding the other point of view, and for the sake of the argument taking it on so you can show the absurdity of their position.”

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7. PRAYER
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We understand that.."Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Psalm 127:1

We have seen the slow and steady hand of the Lord in every aspect of the Concourse development so far, and greatly appreciate your continued prayer that He would continue to lead all those involved (Romans 8:14) for His perfect will to be accomplished.

Thanks for praying with us and feel free to call us anytime with your thoughts or questions. Our ND office telephone number is 701-263-4574.

Sincerely in Christ,

Jim Bartlett

P.S. If you have young adults in your home pursuing private Christian parent directed higher education, consider sending us a summary of their experience toward encouraging others.

P.P.S If you are using an email filter program, please add the following email addresses to your "safe" or "friends" list. This will ensure that you receive all of our newsletters. DrBartlett@BiblicalConcourse.com, info@BiblicalConcourse.com

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The Biblical Concourse of Home Universities
1854 107th Street NE
Bottineau, ND 58318
Tel. (701) 263-4574
info@BiblicalConcourse.com http://BiblicalConcourse.com

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The Biblical Concourse of Home Universities operates like as
national home school support group for people interested in private
Christian parent-directed higher education. Christian people from
across the globe are invited to work together with us to take
higher education captive to the obedience of Christ through this
network of families.

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity
every thought to the obedience of Christ;" 2 Corinthians 10:5

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The Biblical Concourse of Home Universities™

Newsletter #5