Imagine this. A peaceful setting that beckons you. A learning environment where you exchange ideas and grow personally with fellow students and faculty mentors. A relaxed place to enjoy some leisure time ...

What is a retreat course?

Fashioned after L'Abri and Christian camping concepts but at the university level, retreat courses are designed to have a transformationalimpact on both students and faculty as they individually and collaboratively wrestle with academic topics, concepts, personal, and biblical perspectives. In the one-week retreat settings, students have an opportunity to interact with content, build relationships with others, and encounter God in a way that transforms them spiritually, personally, and intellectually. Students claim Retreat Courses to be life-changing experiences.

Retreating from today's hectic lifestyles to a remote and rustic location, this type of concentrated format provides an opportunity for professors and students to have a deeper impact in each other's lives. Together they experience all aspects of life as they exchange ideas, build community, and participate jointly in recreational and everyday activities. "I don't see how this topic could be covered as well or as effectively in a regular classroom. The closeness to the natural environment allowed me to identify with much of the intended outcomes of the course dealing with my spirituality," one student says.

Classes are generally experiential with about half the time devoted to structured exercises in spiritual awareness and academic themes. Having pre reading and post assignments allows time during the retreat for self-examination, group reflection, active discourse and internalization of the content. It is an opportunity to affect the whole person mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically -- the heart of TWU's mission statement.

The role of the faculty member changes significantly in this type of setting. Serving as a mentor, one professor indicated the retreat course "redefined education" for him. Through this experience, faculty have recognized and identified more effective teaching and learning strategies that transfer to the traditional classroom. Rather than a lecturer, they become a facilitator of learning. Instead of of being a lone "sage-on-the-stage," they become a participant in the learning process as the group freely engages in meaningful discourse. "The highlight was our evening discussions; this was a time to learn from one another and be challenged," says one student.

One student, now a TWU graduate said, "this was probably the most meaningful class I have taken and the one that has made the most difference in my life." A professor continued to receive postcards from students a year later, indicating how influential that week had been in their lives. A participating professor's wife states, "There's something different that happens with these courses". Students have consistently commented on the amount and quality of their academic learning as well as the rich community experience." One student says, "I learned so much academically and personally."