For years, many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in high school have attended early-morning seminary classes around the world. Now, the Church has introduced a new online program, implemented so that high school students everywhere can have a positive learning experience.
A video posted on lds.org explains that “the purpose of seminary is to help youth understand and rely on the teachings and Atonement of Jesus Christ, qualify for the blessings of the temple and prepare themselves and their families for exaltation.”
“Online seminary would have helped me a lot because it’s faster and I wouldn’t have had to wake up every morning at 6 a.m. to do it with my parents.”
High school students are invited to participate in the online program. To participate, students must have daily access to a computer with high-speed Internet access. Students are expected to spend 30-45 minutes each day on their computer participating in online seminary. There is no specific time they need do seminary every day, but rather can participate at a time convenient for their individual schedules.
Participants in online seminary are also expected to attend a weekly meeting held at a church house where students share insights and commentary on the material and scriptures they studied over the past week. If circumstances prevent a student from participating live, they can also participate virtually.
Ideally, online seminary classes have 10 to 15 students to one instructor. Students study the material and respond to questions posted online. “No matter if they are shy or outgoing, all can participate,” explained the commentator in the online video. “They tend to ponder more deeply the questions they are given.”
Teachers will receive a three-week training course online to help them navigate the various resources to facilitate learning via seminary online.
