At the West London Mission we are blessed with having a number of preachers ‘on note’ ‘on trial’ or accredited who are under 30. However modern life presents its own challenges and it can be awkward getting to tutorials and local preachers’ meetings. We are scattered across London and getting to and from a tutorial can be a couple of hours’ travelling. With two of our current group being deaf or hard of hearing, we struggled through some of the earlier modules as group discussion presented its own challenges!

It was when I had a six-week placement in the USA that Em and I had the idea. Why not meet up in cyberspace rather than IRL (in real life) and have our tutorials on a Messenger (chat) format? We rapidly extended the suggestion to LWPT meetings as well and presented the idea to Geoff, our Super, tutor and resident wrinkly. Attendance at LPWT meetings had been woeful recently, so he agreed to give both ideas a try. Much credit to Geoff because it meant he had to learn how to use some new software, having mastered e-mail and texting some time before.

The initial step was to find a time where Em and I would be online at home and Nick could show Geoff what to do IRL. We logged on at the appointed time and, after 30 minutes, Geoff had got the hang of the technology sufficiently for us to have our next tutorial online.

We duly logged on at 8pm one Wednesday evening and for the next 90 minutes we worked through the unit, closing in prayer. We had a few glitches, but nothing insurmountable. Nick took responsibility for corralling us into one window and Geoff took charge of the session. At one point Em’s internet connection dropped – when she reappeared we emailed her the transcript and she could quickly catch up. If we needed to pop to the loo, we didn’t miss anything.

From a student point of view, it was great. We didn’t wander off-topic too much and we could follow a train of thought more easily. Geoff’s habit of speaking in long paragraphs was curtailed by the Messenger character limit and it made him a lot easier to follow and we got a lot more out of him. Being able to quote precisely what he said made it a lot easier to get a point elucidated – and to challenge. Nick could join in as an equal participant, which enriched our experience immensely. It also made pauses less uncomfortable. We could focus on our own responses without feeling stared at. It’s also possible to read through transcripts and it becomes far more obvious who hasn’t said very much. Reviewing the session was also easier, as we could look up references and quotations.

It helped that we knew each other IRL first. Unlike a friendly chat session, a tutorial needs to be slower and easier to keep up with.

Technical Considerations
Anyone with a computer and Dial-up can join in. We used MSN Messenger and kept chat history ‘enabled’ in order to give us a transcript but most programmes that permit multi-user conversations would work. Everyone needs to be on the same programme and you all need to know which one it is. MSN doesn’t require a hotmail address to sign up, but it might make things easier. It’s free. Newer versions of Messenger allow for sharing of drawings, which is very useful when discussing the Trinity, for example.

For those who are sight-impaired, a text-based discussion on a computer might be more accessible than some would think. There are a number of ways to implement it – screen readers, magnifiers, text readers and large print – The RNIB can help.

There also needs to be some sensitivity towards literacy and dyslexia issues as well as techno phobia. Again, there are computer programmes which enable someone who is dyslexic to participate fully and as long as no one gets too pedantic about spelling, it should be possible to understand what is being said.

As 20-somethings we are all aware of the people that don’t like technology, so Em, Nick and I discussed ways that we could be inclusive – two people meeting in order to get online and one doing the typing for both.
Some mobile phones also have MSN, allowing people to join in wherever they are. Again, this is invaluable for those of us who are on the move with work.

LWPT meetings
Unfortunately I missed this meeting (having to lead a bible study in Brooklyn), but the attendance was good (mostly the older ones as well). The mid-course Interviews happened for Nick and Em and the format meant that they could ‘leave the window’ easily if they needed to be discussed.

One minister liked the fact that a LP meeting could be accompanied by Magic FM and a G&T. Another (again older) preacher got her son to set it up and mostly she observed the conversations and said something if needed. There were two people who were unable to enter the meeting for technical reasons and a lack of confidence in technology on their part – when we run this again (as we intend to) we will have to ensure everyone is connected. There may be a limit as to the number of people who can usefully engage together in this way – we had eight ‘at’ our meeting.

In conclusion, using a text-based medium should be considered where it might improve accessibility and encourage those who may have a vocation who might struggle to get to tutorials. It would certainly help in far-flung circuits with poor public transport links and for those who could log-in from work or while travelling.

Training is a must though, just to increase confidence for the tutor, especially when dealing with a larger group.
We feel there is great potential in this, for example allowing those further away, in circuits with reluctant tutors, to join in another group.

Glossary
Chat-rooms: open-rooms, hosted on websites or servers, that allow anyone randomly to join in.

E-mail groups/listservs: hosted on an external server, they are limited to just those that subscribe on email. An email to the list address will reach everyone in the group.

Messenger: Services that allow people to talk one to one across the network. They also permit 3 (and more) way conversations. People can only join if invited.

Client programme: the programme that enables an individual to use a messenger service. This might be the proprietary software of a service (MSN, Y!M, AIM, ICQ, Jabber, Google-talk) or it might be something like GAIM or Trillian that allows the user to connect to any of the above services, provided one has an account. Trillian has the advantage of highlighting word strings that have Wikipedia entries, enabling the confused students to look up the information more quickly than would otherwise be the case.

Miriam Moules has been a Local Preacher in West London Mission since September 2007. She is 28 years old, based at King's Cross church and an administrator with the NHS.