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About

The National Institute for Christian Education is the postgraduate training institute for the Christian Education National (CEN) network of member schools. Although its key focus is to help educators develop in their capacity to educate from a biblical perspective, the Institute also works with the other members of school communities: parents, administration staff, Board members, and students. While we mostly serve CEN schools, we also welcome Christian educators from any sector, all over Australia and other countries, to study with us.

The National Institute was formed in the early 1990s following the influential operation based at Mt Evelyn Christian School called the Institute of Christian Education. Christian Education National has always been committed to a robust philosophical engagement with education from a Christian viewpoint and of the need to facilitate deep reflection by practicing teachers who had generally trained in secular institutions. It was deemed necessary to obtain government accreditation for courses of study taught by the Institute for credibility and rigour. In partnership with the Institute of Christian Tertiary Education (ICTE)¹ the College of Christian Higher Education (CCHE) was formed, which subsequently gained accreditation with the NSW Department of Higher Education for a number of postgraduate courses.

Changes in Government regulations across the tertiary space resulted in the National Institute's accreditation being transferred to Morling College Ltd (MCL) and the Institute continued to develop and deliver its courses through a third party agreement with MCL. In 2018, we entered into a new accreditation arrangement with Alphacrucis College (AC).

Alphacrucis was awarded University College status in 2022. Our third party agreement with AC will allow for the expansion of our education offerings through undergraduate courses as well as doctoral degrees in the future.

Currently teachers (or in fact, any eligible community member such as a business manager or board member) can study with the Institute towards a fully accredited MEd, MEd(Leadership) degree or, a Graduate Certificate of Education or a Graduate Certificate of Education (Leadership) that is shaped by the biblically grounded philosophy of Christian Education National.

The National Institute’s courses are offered online with virtual classes of students around Australia and the globe relating via class forums with a qualified lecturer /  tutor. The National Institute also offers supplementary face to face seminars to assist students in the distance learning process by arrangement with AC. Assessment is made through assignments that have direct applicability to the students’ day to day pedagogical tasks.

See also NICE@School - this is a study mode that has been developed in partnership with schools that which to have cohorts of staff studying together.

The National Institute however, is more than a provider of postgraduate education programs. It is the repository and guardian of the intellectual capital of Christian Education National–the fruits of scholarly endeavour in the cause of Christian education for over fifty years. Although there is a CEN / NICE national office and resource centre based in New South Wales the Institute is spread throughout the national and international Christian education community. Qualified lecturers, tutors and educators are located around Australia and in various parts of the world.

Over the years, the Institute has produced many resources including books, and publishes a journal for Christian educators. The Institute works with the CEN Professional Learning team to develops and delivers courses for professional learning. The Institute contributes to educational conversation; encourages educational research; and engages in tertiary collegial interchange. The related journal publication is titled The Christian Teachers Journal. Information about subscriptions can be found here.