The Ambassador Bible Center instructors have been discussing changing to a nine-month program of instruction at ABC for over two years, and the decision to make the change starting in September this year was announced by Clyde Kilough in the last issue of United News . "We are really excited about the possibilities," said David Johnson, who teaches Former Prophets, Acts of the Apostles and Epistles of Paul classes. Benefits "Going to ABC in the seven-month format has been a little like eating at a fine restaurant, but at the pace one would eat at McDonald's; there's been no time for digestion," said Ralph Levy, who teaches classes on the Pentateuch, Writings, Major Prophets and others. "We hope the introduction of a nine-month program will make digestion easier, and the 'meal' more beneficial." "The nine-month program will put ABC on the same schedule as other schools," said Gary Antion, who teaches Minor Prophets, General Epistles, Practical Christianity and Comparative Religion classes. "This change will allow more breaks for student to think about the vast amount of instruction they are receiving. It will also mean that summers are free to be with family when many families take their vacations. So, this change will allow for refreshing breaks and time for reflection on the knowledge that is presented. That will be a great benefit." "An important component of the Education Program has been the addition of measurable outcomes," said Dave Register, director of Education Programs. "I have been talking and writing about outcomes for over a year. Measuring those outcomes has been especially challenging in ABC because we currently have a limited amount of time to teach a great deal of material—the entire Bible and basic Christian living principles. "Expanding to a nine-month program allows us to implement measurements such as tests, group projects, research, interactive discussion groups and papers…to better measure the effectiveness of the ABC program," Mr. Register said. The longer program is designed to allow for more effective teaching techniques. "Most people learn more effectively if there is also some time for discussion of the principles being covered," said Mr. Johnson. "Such discussions make it much easier to see the practical applications of the material under consideration." Education research shows effective learning occurs on several levels, and the ability to use the material studied to produce original work is an important part of learning at the highest levels. "Many ABC grads have said that the information came at them so rapidly that they really didn't have time to 'digest' it," Mr. Johnson said. "The expanded program will allow more time for reflection and in-depth study." "The shorter program has also made it challenging to incorporate extracurricular activities that we feel are important to character development," said Mr. Johnson. "Most graduates can verify that organized social activities are limited simply because of the time pressures. "Structured social and service opportunities…are an important part of developing the skills needed to function effectively in a variety of business and social environments. The nine-month program will give us additional time to incorporate more activities that can enrich the students' lives." New Challenges The changed schedule will present new challenges. "For some it will be easier to schedule time to attend ABC, while others will find it more difficult," said Mr. Johnson. "Every change is a mixture of positives and negatives, but we feel the positives in this change will far outweigh the disadvantages, and we are very excited about what the future holds for ABC." Because of the quick turnaround of starting the new session in September, on the heels of graduation of the current class in August, there will be no Continuing Education classes this year except at the Winter Family Weekend in Louisville, Kentucky, in December. Plans are for ministerial training to become integrated with the ABC program. "We feel that will also add a deeper level of maturity to the program," said Mr. Johnson. "It is our hope that future ABC grads will be even more capable of serving and being pillars in their local congregations." UN