MLC Faculty and CBE: Dr. Steenbock

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Dr. Brandon Steenbock currently serves as a Staff Minister at St. Mark Ministries in DePere, Wisconsin. He is an adjunct instructor of online courses offered at MLC. For the CBTE Theology Minor he worked closely with our instructional designer to align the content and activities of Christian Doctrine I and II with the competencies created by our full-time Theology faculty. He is teaching Christian Doctrine I and II for the initial cohorts of learners enrolled in the CBTE Theology Minor.

We asked him to answer a few questions about his work at MLC and with CBTE.

Where have you served in your public ministry?

I did my internship in Sleep Eye, MN in 2006. I served at St. Paul’s in New Ulm, MN from 2006 to 2017. I have served at St. Mark Ministries in De Pere / Green Bay, WI since 2017.

What courses do you teach at MLC?

Currently, I’m teaching Christian Doctrine 1 and 2 for the CBTE program, and Old Testament Bible Lessons for the Early Childhood Certification program.

What can learners expect from the courses you teach for CBTE?

My courses are a survey of Christian Doctrine, which means learners can expect a comprehensive understanding of the foundational truths of the Bible. We go in a systematic way, first looking at who God is and how we know he exists, how he speaks to us in his Word. Then we will talk about Jesus and how he has given us salvation. From there we’ll explore topics like how we defend our faith, how Law and Gospel fit into our lives, and all the applications of biblical truth to Christian life. 
 
I approach all of this with a mixture of Bible reading, textbook reading, videos and articles that supplement, and collaborative learning through discussion forums. Each week, students will be expected to produce one piece of work that demonstrates their understanding of the content area. This might be a blog post, a lesson plan, a one-page handout… My goal is that the work the student produces is useful for ministry in their own context. That way they are demonstrating their competency but also creating resources for their own ministry. 

What is most rewarding about teaching in the CBTE Minor?

I have been so blessed by reading the things my students produce. When we have a devotional assignment, I get to read a dozen different Bible-based devotions that help me grow deeper in God’s Word myself. I also get to see how my students grow in their understanding; they go from having questions about that week’s content to being convinced of God’s truth. It’s amazing to see God’s Word and his Spirit working together to grow a person’s faith and understanding. 

What would you like to share so learners can know a little more about you?

I grew up in Seattle, so coffee is part of my blood. I like to get involved in every step of the coffee process – roasting the beans, grinding them, and taking careful steps to use the right temperature of water for the brew I’m making. I get a little nerdy and scientific about it, but I love it. I also really enjoy complicated board games with lots of little rules; I love strategy mixed with just a little bit of randomness. I’m also an avid reader and I have a personal rule: Never go anywhere without a book.

Lessons Learned at CBExchange 2024

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We missed posting a blog entry last week because the Nontraditional Education Program’s Instructional Designer and Director were away attending CBExchange, the annual international conference on competency-based education.

When they attended last year, MLC was at the beginning stages of our work with competency-based education. We were not yet approved to offer the CBTE Minor and were still working through the approval process with the Minnesota State Office of Higher Education for the APPLE Elementary Education degree. Our submission of the APPLE El Ed program to the Higher Learning Commission could not move forward until we had approval from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education. We had a growing list of interested learners, but we could not accept applications or enroll learners. We had ideas, but we had little implementation.

What a difference a year has made!

We returned this year with the CBTE Minor approved and with our first cohort of learners enrolled in their courses. We are one step away from approval of the APPLE El Ed program and hope to be able to begin offering courses in that program next year.

The sessions were far too rich to capture everything we learned, but we thought we would share a few of the big takeaways that will inform our work as we continue to build our competency-based education programming.

  • CBTE and CBE administrators, faculty, and staff are very giving of their time and talents. Some of the best sessions we attended gave us time to share out our progress and stumbles to learn from one another. Both the Instructional Desginer and the Director have planned follow up meetings with several colleagues at other institutions.
  • CBE-Network, the organization that sponsors the conference, emphasized its commitment to building partnerships with federal, state governments and higher education organizations. We look forward to attending sessions throughout the upcoming year through the CBE-Network to learn more.
  • Our Instructional Designer attended several sessions about our learning environment, D2L Brightspace. He scheduled follow-up meetings with our D2L support team to find out more about several features and options to support our course development.
  • Our Director attended several sessions on project management and models for supporting learners in CBE courses and programs. The insights from these sessions will help us as we scale our program and add new cohorts of learners in future terms.

The time away from campus at this conference was well spent.

Impact of CBTE Courses

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If you are prayerfully considering applying to join an upcoming cohort of learners in our CBTE course of study, you may have questions about the impact or value of this program.

The value of studying at MLC is far greater than you may imagine.

Christ is at the center of our courses on campus, online, and in our new competency-based education course of study. The value of any course of study at MLC is that it leads to a closer relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The year-long focus on the Bible through Biblical History and Literature I, II, and III guides us in reading Scripture Christocentrically. By partnering these classes with Christian Doctrine I, Christian Doctrine II, and Lutheran Confessional Writing, we develop an understanding of the connection between the Bible and our past, present, and future as a Confessional Lutheran church body.

 

Each learner will have their own experience, but we thought a statement from one of our current learners might help you understand that these courses are more than classes at a college. They are an experience that can deepen your faith. 

I need to share with you how life-changing this experience has been for me as a Christian. I feel like I am building a better relationship with God, and I am building confidence in my worship and knowledge of God’s Word because of this opportunity in your program. My wife and I have had great conversations about God, and how we can grow together as Christians. I feel truly blessed, and want to thank you for helping me be a better Christian. — Cameron Cudnohowski, CBTE 202425A Cohort

CBTE – What Does That Mean?

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Acronyms are pretty prevalent across the synod and our campus. LES? Lutheran Elementary School. ALHS? Area Lutheran High School. BIC? Bible Information Class. DP? District President.

As we build our CBE (competency-based education) programming at MLC (Martin Luther College), we are adding a few new acronyms to our WELS (Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod) vocabulary.

If you have spent any time on our webpage, you will have seen CBTE. Our first approved competency-based program is the CBTE Minor. While our CBTE Minor is uniquely framed to meet MLC’s institutional mission, CBTE is not something we devised. The international Competency-Based Theological Education movement reflects over a decade of work in rethinking how seminaries, colleges, and universities support the theological education of those preparing to serve in the ministries of various church bodies.

The International CBTE Community of Practice defines seven key practices that distinguish CBTE from traditional methods of theological training. We’ve used these seven guiding principles to develop MLC’s CBTE Minor.

Contextual Learning

Developing returning adult learners for ministry necessitates that they are involved in ministry. Going beyond an internship that constitutes part of their degree program, most CBTE learners are immersed full-time in their ministry environment. Assignments and learning opportunities are outcomes-based and, therefore, can be adapted to fit and contribute to the learner’s ministry context.

Partnered Investment

Having learners immersed in a ministry environment transforms the program from being primarily a service contract between the learners and the institution to being a partnership in developing leaders between the institution, the learner, and their congregational school.

Team-Based Mentoring

Diverse mentor teams are engaged to holistically develop learners. They work as a team to develop students in all areas of their lives. Mentor teams at MLC include:

    • A faculty mentor – an MLC faculty mentor who connects the learner with MLC resources
    • The CBTE faculty – the individuals who actively engage with the learners in their year-long study, and
    • A practitioner mentor – an on-the-ground mentor from the learner’s ministry context

Integrated Outcomes

To ensure holistic development, the program is designed with integrated outcomes that aim to develop learners in all areas of their lives. They integrate what you do, where you do it, and how you do it to understand what it means to be a called worker in the public ministry of the WELS.

Timely Instruction

By the end of a CBTE program, all learners will have demonstrated achievement of the same set of standardized outcomes. However, the context in which those outcomes are achieved is highly individualized. This promotes “just-in-time” learning, immediate application, and the opportunity to deepen learning through reflection.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Learners in MLC’s CBTE program come with prior education and experience. Like our traditional program, MLC’s CBTE program grants advanced placement to learners who have completed accredited courses similar to those in the program; credits given for prior credits earned. Learners who previously completed coursework at Bethany Lutheran College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, or Martin Luther College may be able to apply that coursework to their CBTE studies. Additional credits from other accredited institutions are applied to the General Education and program-specific curriculum if the learner continues in their studies at MLC.

Rigorous and Adaptive Assessment

The rigor of a CBTE program rests on its ability to effectively assess learners. Standardized outcomes and indicators are clearly defined and provided to mentors and learners. Mentor teams use these rubrics to understand a learner’s strengths and prior learning on program entry, so they can focus energy on maximizing strengths and shoring up weaknesses. Continual assessment throughout the program ensures that learners complete their course of study only when they have demonstrated mastery in each competency and are fully equipped to serve their ministry context.

 

The content included in this blog is based on the Competency Based Theology Education Conference.  (2024, October 22). What is CBE?

APPLE Course Design Initiative

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Green apple on book Now that we’ve finalized our HLC application to offer the Alternative Pathway to Professional Licensure Eligibility (APPLE) – Elementary Education, the Nontraditional Education Team can turn their attention to course design in earnest. We’re not approved to offer APPLE yet, but we continue to move forward, believing that God will continue to bless and guide our efforts to his will.

Both Dr. Martin and Dr. Nichole LaGrow will work closely with MLC faculty to create Required Content, Professional Education, and Field Experience courses that meet Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) requirements. These courses will be very similar to our on-campus offerings. They will include the same standards and signature assessments required regardless of modality. However, the modality does change some elements of the coursework. For example, one feature of Brightspace that will be regularly featured in the classes is the ability to integrate digital content with comprehension checks as learners engage with the curated resources.

Dr. Nichole LaGrow will work closely with MLC faculty to create the General Education and Required Content courses that do not have Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board requirements. These courses will also closely parallel our on-campus offerings. These courses are not aligned with PELSB standards, but they will be mapped to the same general education and/or program outcomes and follow the same assessment cycle and related assessments as their on-campus offering. Additionally, a writing-intensive general education course remains a writing-intensive course with the same requirements of instruction in writing and the creation of 10-15 pages of polished, professional writing by the end of the course.

Our goal is to ensure that learners have a substantively similar academic experience and are held to the same academic rigor and expectations across all modalities offered by MLC.