New interactive learning platform incorporates technology and multimedia

As Mesquite families settle into the new school year, thousands of residents will be focused on a different kind of education.

This month, Jehovah’s Witnesses are featuring a new interactive educational platform to help make Bible study more engaging and easier to understand: Enjoy Life Forever! — An Interactive Bible Course. This free publication, available in more than 700 languages on the Witnesses’ official website, jw.org, includes multimedia elements that encourage critical thinking and discussion between the student and instructor.

“The videos are particularly wonderful!” said Cathy Donovan, a volunteer in Las Vegas. She’s found that the new format of Bible study helps the students “express themselves.”

The digital version of Enjoy Life Forever! — An Interactive Bible Course contains quick-access links to scriptures and more than 200 videos. Printed copies are designed to be used with the app JW Library or jw.org to access the videos that make Bible study more approachable for everyone.

“Our approach is all about reaching people’s hearts by engaging their minds. This is how people learn,” said Robert Hendriks, U.S. spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have been publishing Bible study aids for more than a century. “Although we’ve always been about the printed page, we’ve adapted our methods to meet the needs of learners.”

One of Donovan’s students benefits from a more interactive approach. “She had a bad accident. So, she has a hard time concentrating and reading. But because it has smaller paragraphs and it’s more personal, she can answer. It’s worked good for her!”

Carnegie Mellon University highlighted recent research findings on dynamic learning methods: “Engaging students through interactive activities, discussions, feedback and … enhanced technologies resulted in improved academic performance compared to traditional lectures, lessons or readings.”

Also available on jw.org are self-paced online Bible study lessons that cover the subjects: the Bible and its Author, the Bible’s main characters and the Bible’s message of hope. All content on the website is free, without requiring registration or subscription.

For more information about how to get the most out of Bible reading and study, visit jw.org.