Assessing the effectiveness of Southwestern Assemblies of God University's spiritual formation course, 'Authentic Christianity'

This project evaluated the effectiveness of a university-level spiritual formation course that I developed in the fall of 2007 at Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU). After teaching the class for several consecutive semesters, the time had come for formal assessment. Did the class curriculum accomplish what it was designed to accomplish? Did students who took the course show measurable spiritual growth?;To find out, I surveyed students currently taking the class and students who had taken it previously. Over 100 students enrolled at the time of the project completed a pretest at the beginning of the semester and a posttest at the end of the same semester to determine cognitive progress made by students during the semester. One hundred and fifty students who had completed the course in previous semesters took an on-line survey that asked them to assess behavioral changes that had occurred in their spiritual lives resulting from the SAGU spiritual formation course. These students also reported any attitudinal changes they observed in their lives related to specific course topics.;To get fresh insights and perspectives on the class, I sampled ministers from the eight districts that own SAGU. They completed a survey that asked them to evaluate the spiritual formation course syllabus. These ministers offered suggestions of topics and requirements that they felt would enhance the course.;This project revealed that the spiritual formation course has been successful in meeting its cognitive, behavioral, and affective goals. The project also pointed out ways the course could be adjusted to maximize its effectiveness.