Welcome:

Welcome.

I hope you are visiting this site because you are interested in taking the Marriage and Family class that we are offering this fall through Pacific Islands University's Distance Education Department.  In order to make this site easily accessible and usable,
to students with a slow internet connection, or who are using a cellphone to log on, we'll keep the materials here simple.  We may do a couple of trial runs early in the class to see just what our limitations are.  I'll let you know.

While we'll be working with at least one student outside Palau, this class is being offered with our Palauan students specifically in mind. All of the materials placed on this blog will be available at our Teaching Facility. Shamira Ldesel, our TF Coordinator, will be glad to help you get these materials. You can stop by during regular hours and pick up a cd containing the class materials. You can even use the computers at our TF, to do your work there. Enjoy the air-conditioning. Currently, our TF does not have internet access, but all the materials for this class will be available there.

The material on this blog will be supplemented by interaction through email. Most of you can accomplish this on your own internet connection, or by logging on at a location that is available to you. Should you be completely without access to email, you can handle the correspondence through Shamira and our TF. It may be a bit clunky, but Shamira will forward your email to me, and mine back to you. That means that one important link will involve you stopping by the TF.
If you are going to use the Teaching Facility to interface with this class and me, you will need to check in at the TF at least once a week.  If you are able to send and receive email, you should not have to make regular trips to the TF.  You can get your material from there and go from there.

Here is the news release about this class.  It contains contact information for Miss Ldesel, me, PIU, and some other key information.

“CFOR 303, Marriage and Family: A practical study of the biblical view of the family, this class explores marriage and family experiences, personal choices, marital adjustments, conflict management, parenting decisions, communication, giving particular attention to the preparation for Christian marriage, and family life.”  (PIU Catalog)The class is being offered through Pacific Islands University's Distance Education Department.  Rev. Hiob Ngirachemoi, Senior Pastor of Koror Evangelical Church, and Rev. Howard Merrell, Chairman of the PIU Board of Trustees, and Director of PIU-Palau, will be co-instructors for the class.  The class will be taught with a combination of instruction offered over the internet, or available at the PIU Teaching Facility on Palau Community College's Campus, and classroom lecture and discussion.  The classroom portion of the class will be taught 5:10 - 6:30 pm, Monday - Friday, October 17-28, 2016.  The DE portion of the class will begin August 29, 2016.   Students will need to have all their work completed by December 16, 2016.  In order to make this class available to as many students as possible the DE portion of the class will be available at the TF, as well as online.  Students do not need to have access to internet, or even a computer to complete this class.Special emphasis will be given to exploring the interface of Biblical standards of family life with Palauan, and changing world culture.  Readings, assignments and lectures will present the Biblical framework for the family, and acquaint the student with important research.  Discussions, as well as practical exercises will give students the opportunity to explore ways of applying what is learned in everyday life.  Students at PCC can take this class without enrolling at PIU.  PCC students who desire to use the class to meet requirements for graduation need to discuss it with their faculty adviser.  PIU Coordinator, Shamira Ldesel is available to answer questions about this class and assist with applying to PIU.  She can be reached at sldesel@piu.edu, or 488 4294.  Howard Merrell can be reached at hmerrell@piu.edu.  

PIU's website is piu.edu.  There you'll find information about admissions, financial aid, and lots of interesting information.

As you can see, from the above news release, this class will include onsite class sessions Monday - Friday, October 17-28.  Unless you make arrangements with me to "attend" these lectures and discussions by some other means you will need to be present for them.  Students in this class need to clear their schedule and make attendance at these sessions a priority.