Facilitating holistic growth in a blended program

Students reflect on what worked and why

Abstract

The ability or otherwise of flexible learning environments to facilitate whole-person growth and transformation has been attracting increasing research interest. This article shares initial findings from an ongoing project that seeks to identify key factors from a faith-based, blended Diploma of Counselling programme which students identified as significant in their self-perceptions of holistic change. Two aspects – ‘gristy’ online discussions and the onsite intensives – are explored more fully. The article addresses a perceived gap in the literature by giving focus to participant responses as they share their perspectives, seeking to identify helpful practices as well as challenges in the facilitation of holistic growth and transformation among students in blended learning settings.