(長周新聞2021年5月28日)
BYU–Pathway Worldwide: The access provider
The most recent innovation to the Church Educational System is BYU–Pathway Worldwide, which is increasing Latter-day Saints’ “chances for learning” like never before. As the Church’s online program, BYU–Pathway is bringing education to women and men who would never be able to set foot on a college campus.
What makes BYU–Pathway distinctive can really be boiled down to two things, Elder Gilbert said: First is who they serve, and second is where they serve.
BYU–Pathway Worldwide caters to the “hidden many,” or members of the Church who never thought that college was for them. Which, in reality, turns out to be a lot. More than 55% of Latter-day Saints in the United States and 85%-90% in the international Church don’t have a degree.
This hidden many can be broken into three groups, Elder Gilbert said. The first group consists of younger students who don’t have the confidence or academic background to start college. “They say to themselves, ‘I’m not college material,’ and we show them, ‘Yes, you are.’”
The second group is made up of stop outs: people who started college and didn’t complete it for some reason, Elder Gilbert explained. The third group are adult learners who think they’ve missed their window. They typically work, have families and Church responsibilities and don’t think it’s possible to go to school.
“We’ve designed BYU–Pathway specifically for these populations,” Elder Gilbert said.
The second thing that makes BYU–Pathway unique within the CES is its reach. “The whole program is designed to be online,” President Gilbert said. “BYU–Pathway was designed to operate wherever the Church is organized. You don’t have to come to campus, it’s not geographically dependent, and the program works in West Africa, in the Philippines and in South Jordan, Utah.”
By designing the program to be affordable, flexible, accessible and to build confidence, BYU–Pathway has removed barriers for the hidden many to begin pursuing education, whether it be a certificate or degree. “Over half of our students who complete a certificate, get a job improvement immediately, even before they finish their bachelor’s degree,” Elder Gilbert said.
In the 10-plus years since it launched, BYU–Pathway has steadily expanded. In 2020, enrollment reached 50,000 students in 150 countries. The online university saw record enrollment, even through the pandemic.
In a Church News podcast in January, Elder Gilbert expressed his belief that BYU–Pathway “will just keep expanding because the need is so great across the Church, and traditional educational models don’t work for most people. So the affordability, the online nature, the flexible schedule, and the spiritual competence you’ve gained through the program all have made it really transformative.”
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