Pathway IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BYU-IDAHO

PRESENTATION TO THE

MISSOULA MONTANA STAKE PRESIDENCY

FALL 2014

What is Pathway?

What is Pathway?Designed to give students the confidence and skills needed to succeed in college, Pathway is a low-cost educational opportunity that combines online courses with local gatherings. Students earn college credit that is eligible for transfer to BYU-Idaho and other universities. The program takes three semesters, or one year, to complete and can lead to professional certificates and degrees.

What is Pathway?For students who are proficient in English, the standard version combines BYU-Idaho online academic courses with either institute or BYU-Idaho religion courses. Students take one academic class and one religion class each of the three semesters.

How Pathway WorksOnline Academic Courses

During each of the three semesters, students take one online academic class from BYU-Idaho as well as one religion class. The three academic classes are designed to give students the confidence and skills needed to succeed in college and include Pathway Life Skills (GS 120), Basic Writing (ENG 106), and Personal Finance (Math 100G).

How Pathway Works

How Pathway WorksReligion Courses

During each of the three semesters, students take one of the following religion classes:

Book of Mormon, Part 1

Book of Mormon, Part 2

Teachings of the Living Prophets – FDREL 333

All Pathway students in the standard version take the same academic and religion courses, but the schedule and method vary by age group.

How Pathway WorksWeekly Gathering

The program includes a 1-hour gathering each week at a local institute facility or church meetinghouse with other Pathway students and a service missionary couple.

How Pathway WorksThe gathering provides social, emotional, and academic support and is held every Thursday evening during the three BYU-Idaho academic semesters.

How Pathway WorksAge Groups

Pathway students are divided into group types: Age 18-30, Age 31+, and Age 18+. (The Age 18+ group is no longer available in the United States except for a few existing sites. Most international sites continue to approve and operate Age 18+ groups.)

Academic Courses

All groups complete their Pathway academic courses online and gather weekly at a local institute facility or church meetinghouse to discuss the lesson material, collaborate on assignments, and teach one another.

Religion Courses

Students in the Age 18-30 and Age 18+ groups complete their Book of Mormon courses through their local institute program at no charge.

All groups complete the FDREL 333, “Teachings of the Living Prophets,” course online through BYU-Idaho.

Local LeadersPathway has been designed around three primary objectives, which are intended to serve as a catalyst in students' lives both academically and economically. In addition to the obvious educational and career benefits Pathway provides, perhaps the most valuable aspect of this program for the students who participate is the spiritual nourishment that comes through regular gospel study and the association of fellow students.

Pathway's objectives are:

1. Get the gospel down into the students’ hearts

2. Help students become capable learners

3. Prepare students to lead and support families

Local Leaders MinistryMany Pathway students have reported significant benefits relative to their participation in Pathway. Students surveyed near the completion of their first year in the program have reported the following:

Local Leaders—Getting StartedPriesthood Support

For Pathway to succeed, local priesthood leadership and support are critical. In areas where Pathway has been most successful, priesthood leaders discuss the program openly in councils, training, or other church meetings. We recommend a tight alignment and investment in the program at the Seventy, stake (presidency, high council, auxiliary), and ward levels.

Implementation of Pathway will be easier for those areas that have complete support from: Area Seventy

Stake Presidents

Institute Director (and CES Area Director)

Local Leaders—Getting StartedAssess Local Interest

Pathway works best when multiple stakes work together to establish a central location for implementing the program. To gauge the scope of interest, Area Seventies and/or stake presidents may consider the following:

Take a few minutes in a coordinating council to show the video titled, “Using Pathway in Your Ministry,” featuring Kim B. Clark, president of BYU-Idaho. This is a good opportunity to share brief information about the program and ask stake presidents how they feel about bringing Pathway to their area.

Take a similar approach to #1 with stake councils and bishops training meetings. In turn, bishops can proceed to introduce Pathway to their ward councils.

Local Leaders—Getting StartedAgent Stake President Assignment

The effort to launch Pathway in an area can gain traction when a stake president either volunteers or is delegated to take the lead. Generally this means completing and submitting an application to formally request Pathway, coordinating the selection of Church Service Missionaries to administer the program, and serving as a point of contact for BYU-Idaho until service missionaries are in place.

Learn more about the roles of Pathway service missionaries, and download the Church Service Missionary Form.

Local Leaders—Roles and ResponsibilitiesBecause Pathway is administered at the local level, BYU-Idaho relies heavily on priesthood and auxiliary leaders, institute directors, and Pathway Church service missionaries for the on-site management and ongoing success of the program.

Local Leaders—Roles and ResponsibilitiesRole of Priesthood Leaders

Priesthood support is vital to the success of the program at each individual Pathway location. While BYU-Idaho does not direct the priesthood in their duties, the university does ask local priesthood leaders to offer support and assist in the process of identifying Church members who could potentially benefit from Pathway's educational and spiritual blessings.

Local Leaders—Roles and ResponsibilitiesThe basic priesthood roles in support of Pathway include:

AREA SEVENTIES

Garner strong stake leadership support for Pathway

Establish student participation goals and distribute responsibility

Coordinate multi-stake cooperation and execution

STAKE PRESIDENCIES

Assist with initial program implementation

Identify and call Church service missionaries

Work with Pathway Church service missionaries to ensure program success

Encourage other stake leaders and ward bishoprics to support the program

Help find potential students

Local Leaders—Roles and ResponsibilitiesRole of Institutes

Because Pathway’s primary target audience is Church members between the ages of 18 and 30, local institute directors play an important role in the program. Here are some of the ways institutes help support Pathway:

Coordinate Book of Mormon classes for Pathway students (not applicable for Age 31+ group or L Version in the U.S. & Canada)

Provide classrooms and access to buildings during the BYU-Idaho semester calendar (not applicable for Age 31+ group or L Version in the U.S. & Canada)

Help find potential students

Local Leaders—Roles and ResponsibilitiesRole of Pathway Missionaries

BYU-Idaho relies heavily on Church service missionaries to assist with the on-site management of Pathway. While priesthood leaders and institute directors support the program, the missionaries do the bulk of the work to ensure Pathway is successful and that students have a meaningful experience. Missionaries are primarily asked to:

Work closely with local priesthood/auxiliary leaders, and other Church members, to identify prospective students who may benefit from participation in Pathway

Share Pathway information with potential students, address their questions, and assist them in the enrollment process

Facilitate weekly Pathway gatherings

Monitor student academic success, participation, attendance, and retention

Impact of Pathway