Welcome to FDREL 121

Course Description

FDREL 121 examines the first half of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ beginning with 1 Nephi and ending with Alma 29.

Course Objectives

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and that a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book,” (See Introduction to the Book of Mormon). This course is designed to bring you closer to God by helping you gain a better understanding of the doctrines and principles taught within the Book of Mormon.

Seven of the primary objectives of this course are to help you:

  1. Develop greater faith and testimony in Jesus Christ and deepen their personal conversion.
  2. Read and understand the context and content of the text for the course.
  3. Develop an ability to learn and teach by the Spirit.
  4. Develop a habit of regular scripture study.
  5. Identify, understand, and apply doctrines and principles from the scriptures and the words of the prophets.
  6. Develop the ability to explain, share and testify of true doctrines and principles.
  7. Master key scriptural passages - understand and be able to explain and apply them to everyday life.

Course Architecture

The foundation for this course is your personal study of the Book of Mormon. Each week you will complete a combination of assignments to supplement your personal study and to help you gain a better understanding of the Book of Mormon and its teachings.

This course is organized into 14 Lessons (L01-L14). Due dates are organized into Midweek and End of Week. For more clarification on the flow of this course, see the How to Understand Due Dates and Weekly Patterns and Expectations pages in the course Welcome Module.

Each week your instructor will post administrative information, answer general questions, and share thoughts about the week’s content on the Announcements page.

Weekly Assignments

  1. Lesson Readings: There is no substitute for reading the scriptures. One of the course objectives is to help you develop a habit of meaningful daily scripture study. The insights you gain from the weekly readings will be helpful as you complete the rest of your assignments. At the end of each week, you will report on whether you completed your Lesson Readings in the Personal Study Report. You will be earning reading points in two ways:
    • Scripture Readings: Each week, you will spend time reading out of the scriptures. There are two different options you can choose from:
      • Option 1: Read the entire scripture block – This option is ideal for those who want to familiarize themselves with the basic story line and teachings of the Book of Mormon
      • Option 2: Study within the scripture block for 30 minutes five out of seven days in the week – This option is ideal for those who are already familiar with the Book of Mormon and who desire to dig more deeply into specific doctrines and principles within the scripture block.
    • Supplemental Readings You are also required to choose an additional reading to supplement your scripture study. You will have two options to choose from:
      • Option 1: Read chapters from the Book of Mormon Institute Manual – Links to the chapters will be provided inside the course material for you to use, but the manual is also available on LDS.org. 
      • Option 2: Read one additional talk or article from church leaders. The links to these talks will also be provided inside the course material for you to use.
  2. Directed Study : Each week you will be asked to write at least 300 words in response to a prompt regarding a significant theme or principle from within the scripture block. The directed study assignment is due by Midweek at 11:00 PM.
  3. Digging Deeper: Each week you will be asked to watch at least six video highlights that add further insight into the doctrines and principles you are studying. A wide variety of videos have been selected from prophets, church leaders, Mormon messages, and others. The insights gained from these videos can help you in completing your weekly assignments. At the end of each week, you will report on watching these Digging Deeper videos in the Personal Study Report assignment.
  4. Personal Study Report: At the end of each week you will take a brief quiz to indicate whether you have completed Lesson Readings and the Digging Deeper videos assignment. You will also be asked to share one highlight from the week.

Bi-Weekly Assignments

Each week you will complete one of the following assignments:

  1. Doctrinal Discussion Board: Participate in a doctrinal discussion board with your class mates. To earn full credit you will need to make three posts throughout the week. These posts are layered and are designed to build upon each other to help you better understand and apply the scriptures to your life
    • Post #1 Scriptural Insight: For the first post (due by Midweek at 11:00 PM MT) you will quote a passage of scripture and either share a meaningful insight regarding its significance to you or ask a meaningful question about the passage and the principles it is teaching.
    • Post #2 Increased Understanding: For the second post (due by End of Week at 11:00 PM MT) you will try to add further insight or understanding into one of the posts made by your classmates by sharing a related scripture, or a quote from a church leader and then explaining how you feel it adds additional insight or understanding to the scripture or principle being discussed.
    • Post #3 Personal Application: For the third post (due by End of Week at 11:00 PM MT) you will make personal application of one of your classmate’s posts. You can either share a brief story of when you have seen that principle in your life, identify a way you are currently trying to live that principle, or share an example of a friend or family member who has exemplified that principle to you.
    2. Share It! Every other week you will be asked to share a scriptural insight with your friends, or family. When you share your insight, you should do the following:
    • Identify one insight from your personal study you want to share . This should include a scripture passage or prophetic quote, and your explanation of why it is important or how it is relevant in your life.
    • Share your insight! You could talk with a friend, skype your family, call a grandparent, post something on social media, send someone a letter or email, or make a blog entry. Try to generate a discussion with others about what you shared and why it is important.
    • Submit your assignment You will submit an explanation of what, how, and who you shared your insight with.

Course Projects

Throughout the semester you will be asked to complete three projects to help you ponder and apply scriptural teachings in your life. These projects may require time to complete and you are encouraged to begin them early.

Course Projects have two partsn, a Project Plan and a Project Report Submission. These will both be turned in separately at the beginning of the project, and again at the end of the project. Plan Submissions are due at the end of weeks 2, 6, and 10; Report Submissions are due at the end of weeks 4, 8, and 12.

  1. Family Home Evening Lesson Plan: For this project you will create a Family Home Evening Lesson Plan to share with your family or friends. Your project should include the following elements:
    • A story, object lesson, or activity to introduce the theme or principle you wish to discuss
    • A passage from the Book of Mormon that teaches the principle
    • A quote from a church leader that reiterates or discusses the principle
    • Your testimony of the principle being taught
    • Must be from first three weeks of scripture study
    • Finally, please also include a brief summary of how your Family Home Evening Lesson went when you shared it with your family or friends!
  2. Five Minute Talk: As the title suggests, for this project you will be writing a talk as though you were invited to speak in Church. Your talk will need to include at least one reference for each of the following:
    • Scripture verse between 1 Nephi 1 - 2 Nephi 16
    • Prophetic quotes on your topic found in your Supplemental Reading each week
    • Digging Deeper videos(s) from Lessons 01 - 06
    • Personal insights discovered while studying the Book of Mormon
  3. Christlike Attribute Project: For this project you will select one Christlike attribute, search the Book of Mormon for teachings on that attribute, make specific goals to work on that attribute for at least two weeks, and then submit a Project Report that addresses each of the following questions:
    • What attribute did you choose and why did you choose it?
    • What can we learn about that attribute from the Book of Mormon?
    • What specific goals did you make to improve that attribute in your life for two weeks?
    • What did you learn about this attribute through your study and efforts to improve?

Grading

Grade Breakdown

A =93-100%
A- =90-92%

B+ =87–89.99%
B   =84–86.99%
B- =80–83.99%

C+ =77–79.99%
C   =74–76.99%
C-  =70–73.99%

D+ =67–69.99%
D   =64–66.99%
D- =60–63.99%

F=below 60%

The general breakdown of course points is as follows:

Assignments Points (x number of weeks) Total Points
Course Introduction Activities
Course Readiness Quiz – 10 points
Getting Acquainted Discussion Board - 15 points
Introduction Assignment - 10 points		 35 pts 35
Directed Study Assignments 15 pts x 13 weeks 195
Personal Study Reports
Lesson Readings – 12 points
Digging Deeper Videos – 2 points
Insight – 1 point		 15 pts x 13 weeks 195
Doctrinal Discussion Boards
Post #1 – 4 points
Post #2 – 4 Points
Post #3 – 4 Points
College-level writing – 3 points		 15 pts x 7 weeks 105
Share It! 15 pts x 6 weeks 90

Family Home Evening Project

Plan Submission due in week 02 (10 pts)

Report Submission due in week 04 (40 pts)

 50 50

Five-Minute Talk Project

Plan Submission due in week 06 (10 pts)

Report Submission due in week 08 (40 pts)

 50 50

Christlike Attribute Project

Plan Submission due in week 10 (10 pts)

Report Presentation due in week 12 (40 pts)

 50 50
Total Points Possible 800

The BYU-Idaho Learning Model

Understanding and implementing the BYU-Idaho Learning Model will help you to accomplish the objectives of this course. As you follow the principles and use the process of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model, your study of the Book of Mormon will be enhanced.

The Principles of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model

  1. Exercise faith in Jesus Christ as a principle of action and power
  2. Understand that true teaching is done by and with the Holy Ghost
  3. Lay hold upon the word of God as found in the holy scriptures and in the words of the prophets in all disciplines
  4. Act for yourself and accept responsibility for your learning and teaching
  5. Love, serve, and teach one another

The Process of the BYU-Idaho Learning Model

  1. Prepare
  2. Teach One Another
  3. Ponder and Prove

Love, Serve, and Teach One Another

At BYU-Idaho, whether on campus or online, we love, serve, and teach one another. Please keep this in mind as you interact with your classmates and instructor throughout the semester. Be kind in your comments. Recognize that many students come from different backgrounds with different experiences, attitudes, and perspectives than your own. Be considerate of others views even if you disagree with them. Try to helpful to your classmates if they need assistance. Any mean spirited communication with your classmates or instructor will negatively impact your grade.

Class Policies

Course Questions/Problems/Concerns

This course has a Questions and Conversations board in each lesson where you can post general questions and concerns about the course. Using these boards will inform the instructor, class members, and others monitoring the course of the issues you find and will allow the proper people to correct them for everyone. This is the fastest and most efficient way to report a problem and get it fixed. If you are experiencing the same problem as another student who has posted, you can post a response so others know the seriousness and extent of the problem. If you know the answer to a problem, please post solutions. Additionally, your instructor will use the board to communicate with you including informing you of fixes and solutions. So check back often to learn of any changes to the course.

Please note: Please email your instructor if you have a personal concern to share with them.

Learning in an Online Course

The fourth principle of the BYU-Idaho learning model is to act for yourself and accept responsibility for your learning and teaching. In an online course, you need to take responsibility by planning specific time in your schedule to complete your daily, weekly, and quarterly assignments. As the saying goes, if you fail to plan you are planning to fail in an online course.

In an online course, it is expected that you will spend 3–4 hours working for every credit earned. Therefore, in this course you will need to plan to spend 6-8 hours each week completing your course work.

Late Work Policy

Assignments are due on the day indicated. Each lesson opens early in order to allow students some flexibility in determining their schedule. Late work will be accepted only at your instructor’s discretion. If you feel your situation warrants personal consideration, inform your instructor before the assignment is due so that he/she has time to work with you. Any late work that is accepted is subject to a penalty as determined by your instructor.

University Policies

The University has established and posted policies concerning Sexual Harassment, Plagiarism, and Disabilities Services. Please review the following so you are familiar with them:

Disclaimers

Your instructor reserves the right to change any part of this syllabus and/or schedule any time during the semester in order to adapt to changing course needs. You will be notified prior to any changes that may take place, so pay attention to communication from your instructor.

Browser Compatibility: Please do not use Explorer as your browser in this course. However, you may still experience an issue with some course content if you are using either Firefox or Chrome as your browser. As a default, these browsers will not load pages they determine are “insecure.” If any of your pages are not loading correctly or come up as a blank page, read the "Help! My Page Isn’t Loading" page in the "Welcome" module to find out how to fix the problem.