6 • GCU TODAY
M
icrobiology is generally not the
sort of class where you expect to
hear a lot of prayer unless there’s
a big exam coming up. But when Dr.
Daisy Savarirajan introduced a daily devotional into her
microbiology classes at Grand Canyon University, the reaction
was atomic.
“Many of themwere happy with the prayer we do to start the class
because they truly feel that they kind of get stressed out by the stuff they
are required to learn,” she said. “Starting with the prayer calms them down,
and we have seen a difference in the lab environment.”
And when she did a written survey of the students asking them a simple
question — Did it strengthen your personal faith in Jesus Christ? — the
response was overwhelming, with 90 percent responding that it did.
“Some of them said they never really realized that science and Scripture
can go hand in hand and not be highly contradicting things. They were
very happy to see some of the dots that could get connected. They could
see the big picture.”
Savarirajan’s experience mirrors that of other instructors who have
been inspired by GCU’s Integration of Faith, Learning and Work initiative,
which began in 2013 under the direction of Dr. Jason Hiles, dean of the
College of Theology.
The centerpiece of the program is a monthly “Lunch and Learn” at which
faculty members gather at Howerton Hall to eat lunch and hear one of
their peers talk about assimilating faith into the classroom. Hiles also does
a presentation, and attendees are given time to tackle discussion topics in
small groups.
“I think it’s been tremendously successful in the second year,” Hiles
Leap
of
Faith
and
Learning
Faculty finds ways to more fully
integrate Christian worldview
into classroom
B Y R I C K V A C E K
