Reasons Institute

Reasons Institute courses are designed for all Christians who are interested in equipping themselves with the powerful apologetics tools developed by Reasons to Believe. Our desire is to prepare God’s people to be informed and effective witnesses for Christ the Creator in the church, the workplace, and all of society.

This program is particularly applicable to Christians who are:

• Parents: Reasons Institute courses will equip parents to teach their children the truth about Jesus Christ the Creator.
• Sunday school teachers and church leaders: These courses will equip Sunday school teachers to communicate confidently the compatibility between the Bible and science to their students.
• Professional scientists, engineers, and health care professionals: Completion of the Creation and the Bible and Creation vs. Evolution courses will provide a solid foundation for science professionals to integrate what they use in their vocation with their spiritual life.
• Public and Christian schoolteachers: This program will prepare teachers to give biblical and scientific answers to students’ questions, with an emphasis on the importance of using scientific models.
• College students and faculty: Academic settings, whether Christian or secular, are frequently influenced by the teaching of biological evolution. Reasons Institute will equip students and faculty alike to respond to these assertions within the context of a testable creation model.
• Missionaries and evangelists: Non-Christians with a high view of science generally view science as in conflict with the Bible. Reasons Institute’s courses will prepare missionaries and evangelists to use tried-and-true techniques for sharing the gospel in a language that skeptics and scientists can understand.

No scientific knowledge beyond the high school level is necessary for success at Reasons Institute—just a desire to learn.

For further information about Reasons Institute, please contact our office at (855) REASONS or [email protected].

To ensure that our courses provide the same rigor and breadth as those of the degree-granting institutions we partner with, Reasons Institute courses conform to the following criteria set by the universities.

• Class credits are measured in “Carnegie Units,” which means 1 unit of credit represents 38–40 hours of instruction and preparation.
• A 2-unit course provides about 80 hours of focused engagement (our 8-week courses). A 3-unit course provides approximately 120 hours of focused engagement (our 15-week courses).

To get the most out of this learning experience, students should plan their schedules to allow sufficient time for study. A modest investment of time over a limited period (8 or 15 weeks) can have a transformative effect on one’s life and perspective.

Anyone may audit a class for personal enrichment. Audit students are given access to course lectures and notes as well as group discussions. There are no prerequisites and no written assignments. Prospective audit students may also want to check out our on-demand courses.

Anyone may also register for a course and work toward a certificate in science apologetics. This option offers students undergraduate- to graduate-level training without requiring enrollment in a formal degree program. Certificate students are required to complete written assignments and participate on message boards, audit students are not.

Certificate students are expected to complete each certificate level within 3 years of starting the first class. In order to get college credit for a certificate course, a student must go through one of our partner institutions.

If you decide to drop the course before the first two weeks of class, then you may do one of the following: 

Audit: 

Students can drop a course and request a full refund for their registration. This request must be submitted by 5 PM (PT) on the first Friday of the course.

OR

Students can request to transfer their tuition to a different course or a different term. 

Certificate:

Students can drop a course and request a refund for their registration (minus a $50 enrollment fee). This request must be submitted by 5 PM (PT) on the first Friday of the course.

OR

Students can request to transfer their tuition to a different course or a different term. To do this, contact our office when the course enrollment is open and pay the $50 enrollment fee.

Switching between course levels:

Audit to Certificate:

Students who upgrade from the audit level to the certificate level of a course must pay an additional $50 enrollment fee. This request must be submitted by 5 PM (PT) on the first Friday of the course.

Certificate to Audit:

Students who switch from the certificate to the audit level of a course can receive a $50 refund for the difference in enrollment fees. This request must be submitted by 5 PM (PT) on the first Friday of the course.

NO refunds will be given on course materials. Send refund requests and inquiries to [email protected].

Reasons Institute is not a degree-granting institution. However, we do offer a series of Certificates in Science Apologetics upon completion of a sequence of courses.

Also, through our partner institutions, students can earn graduate credit that is transferable to most universities, both Christian and secular. Students should check with their college registrar’s office in order to verify eligibility requirements.

Students wishing to pursue a formal degree in science apologetics might want to consider the graduate programs available through Biola University, Southern Evangelical Seminary, Erskine College, and Regent University. Some of RTB’s scholars are adjunct faculty at these institutions. 

Reasons Institute courses taken for audit cannot be given academic credit later.

The following questions will help you determine if taking an online course is right for you.

Do I have proficient computer skills?

• I own a computer and am comfortable navigating it and browsing the web using Firefox.
• I know how to create .doc or .docx files using word processing software.
• I know how to download, save, and open .mp3 and .PDF files on my computer.
• I know how to download and install basic software, such as Adobe Flash Player and Mozilla Firefox, onto my computer.
• I am comfortable communicating with others using email and online message boards.

Is my learning style a good match for online classes?

• I understand that the main form of communication with my instructor will be through the learning platform (Moodle), online message boards, and email.
• I have the self-discipline to complete the required coursework within a given time frame.
• I understand that my instructor and peers might not be online at the same time as me, so waiting a few hours for a response is OK.
• I know that Reasons Institute courses are graduate-level courses. This means that the content may be intensive and I will need to allocate sufficient time for the course each week.

If you answered “yes” to most or all of these statements, then online learning through Reasons Institute might be right for you. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

If you answered “no” to most or all of these statements, then we recommend looking at the courses offered through our personal enrichment program. These courses are on-demand and do not require any written or reading assignments.

The following list will address some of the most common problems students experience while taking our courses.

1. Login instructions, along with your username and password, will be sent via email on the Friday before the course begins. This information will be sent to the email address you provided during your checkout at the RTB web store (or the one sent to us by the university). If you do not receive your login information, please check your spam folder. Sometimes emails are redirected there if the sender is not one of your regular contacts. If you have multiple email addresses, you will want to check those accounts as well.

2. Make sure to watch the New Student Orientation video before the course starts. This will answer most of the questions you may have. If you still have questions, please watch the Troubleshooting video.

(Adobe flash player is no longer in existence. Please disregard this part of the video.)

3. Make sure to use Mozilla Firefox as your web browser. This will allow you to have full functionality of the online learning platform (Moodle). Go to Mozilla’s website to access a free download of Firefox.

4. If you experience problems watching a video clip, it may be due to one of the following reasons:

• Your internet network might be blocking video content. If you are trying to access the video from a public network (like your workplace), video content could be blocked. If that is the case, try to log onto the course using a different network.
• You might be trying to watch a Flash video on your Apple device. Although Flash works on Apple computers, it does not work on iPads, iPhones, or any other Apple mobile device without using a third-party app (such as Vimeo or YouTube).
• You may be in a different country and trying to access a video through PBS.org, which blocks users outside of the US and Canada. If this is the case, you can use YouTube to access copies of most of these videos.

5. If you receive the following message on Moodle: “Error 404,” this is a mistake on our end. Please let us know as soon as possible so we can fix the problem. Email us at [email protected].

6. If you are unable to upload your assignments, you are likely experiencing one of the following problems:

• You are trying to upload your assignment early. Moodle will not allow you to upload an assignment before it is due.
• Double check the due date of the assignment. If it has the wrong month or year, it is an error on our part. Please let us know as soon as possible so we can fix the problem. Please contact us at [email protected].

Reasons Institute does not offer scholarships. However, we do offer excerpts from some free lectures on our Sample Lectures page. We also recommend our personal enrichment courses as a cost-effective alternative to our traditional courses.