Pathway Outlines its Goals and Initiatives for 2017

Pathway leadership has identified five guiding initiatives for 2017. These initiatives will direct the program’s efforts as it seeks to extend its reach to more students throughout the world, as well as add value to the educational experience students receive.

1) Improved Dashboard Data

Pathway will seek to improve the gathering and reporting of student- and site-level data regarding the program and beyond. Online dashboards will provide Pathway administrators at-a-glance indicators including: application trends, retention rates, average academic performance, program completion rates, BYU-Idaho matriculation percentages and much more. This “decision-ready data” will continue to drive program decisions well into the future.

2) PathwayConnect Area Reports for Priesthood Leaders

Pathway will seek to help Church members develop spiritually, temporally and educationally by complementing the objectives outlined in region-specific plans created by local priesthood leaders. By providing area reports to local priesthood leadership regarding PathwayConnect and BYU-Idaho online students, local priesthood leaders can make informed decisions about how PathwayConnect fits into their plan for enhancing educational and employment opportunities for Church members within their areas.

3) Retention and Advising with Online Instruction

Pathway is working with BYU-Idaho’s Online Curriculum Development and Online Instruction teams to have Pathway instructors serve as an additional advising resource for students preparing for their after-PathwayConnect plans involving BYU-Idaho. Instructors will be instrumental in addressing first-semester student retention and encouraging all third-semester students to complete their applications to BYU-Idaho’s online degree program.

4) EnglishConnect™

PathwayConnect will be a contributing partner in the new English-learning program, EnglishConnect™, being offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contributors from Pathway, Church-owned universities, Self-Reliance Services and the Missionary Department have begun developing EnglishConnect™ to serve a wide range of participants’ English levels as part of the CES Global Education Initiative . Church members around the world will soon have the resources to improve their English reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

5) Expanded Certificate Offerings and Monitoring of Completion Rates

BYU-Idaho will be expanding the university’s certificate options to provide online students even more educational and professional opportunities. When determining additional certificate options, Pathway and university administrators will study job markets and career placement needs in more countries throughout the world. Also, careful monitoring of certificate completion rates and job placement rates of those who finish a certificate will provide greater insights when creating future certificate options and enhancing the current offerings.

“Pathway is committed to adding value to the student experience and extending the reach of its programming to more Church members throughout the world,” said J.D. Griffith, managing director of Pathway. “While we have dozens of projects and ideas we will work on throughout the year, theses five initiatives are the ones that will make the most impact.”

These initiatives continue to build off those presented in Pathway’s 2016 Annual Report .