Step 1: Get an Overview of PathwayConnect and PC 101
Watch the video below to see a welcome from BYU-Pathway Worldwide President Brian Ashton and his wife Melinda. Then, watch the next video, which gives an overview of PC 101.
President and Sister Ashton's Welcome | (03:58 mins, "President and Sister Ashton's Welcome" Transcript)
Video Source (02:48 mins, "What is PC 101" Transcript)
Step 2: Learn How To Get Help
At some point sooner or later, you may need help in this course. Finding help is an important student skill. More than anything, please know that there are people waiting, willing, and wanting to help you every step of the way. This includes people living near you!
Help with Learning
Your instructor is ready to help you understand instructions and concepts in the course. Your instructor may have already contacted you by now. Check your email. Check the announcements every time you log in. You can always reach your instructor using the Inbox feature, a tool that will be explained in Step four.
In addition, there are many tutors ready to help you with specific questions about the math or writing in this course. To engage with a tutor, go to Modules and scroll down to the bottom, to the Student Resources module > Resource Center: Online Tutoring Resources. Follow the instructions there.
Finally, a Resource Center has been prepared to give you access to Math and Writing preparation lessons and practice quizzes. For example, if you get a Math quiz question wrong, you will be directed to a specific lesson in the resource center. This can help you remember how to do the math question so that when you take it again, you can score better.
Help with My Computer
This course is completed on a computer. When you have a problem with the computer, it can be frustrating. These problems include hardware and software issues. They include issues where the course doesn't seem to be working right. Here are three things that you can do to find computer help.
- Ask a friend or family member. Find someone who lives in or near your home whom you can call for computer help. There may be people near you who would love to assist you in any way they can. Let them help you. It is possible these people can help you very quickly. They will be especially good at helping you with computer hardware issues.
- Contact my Peer Mentor. Your peer mentor can be a great resource if you have computer issues.
- Contact your instructor. While your instructor may not be able to help you with hardware or software issues, it is important to tell him or her when something in the course is not working. This is especially true if the problem is keeping you from progressing in the course.
Help with My Gathering
Every PathwayConnect student has been given one or more missionaries for support. The missionary's role includes facilitating weekly gatherings. You can find out who your missionaries are by going to your BYU-Pathway Portal. To get there, sign in at https://byupathway.edu.
Help with Registration, Tuition, and Other Student Needs
Your BYU-Pathway Portal is a great place to start if you have questions about registration, tuition, and other student needs. There is also important information on student needs listed in the course syllabus beneath Policies.
Finally, review the Student-Facing Support Model to learn about the many people at BYU-Pathway Worldwide who are ready to assist you.
Step 3: Communicate!
It is possible that the most important thing an online student can do is communicate. BYU-Pathway Worldwide, your instructor, and your missionaries are all going to send you messages. Watch for them in your email, your Canvas inbox, and on your BYU-Pathway Portal (sign in at https://byupathway.edu). Since you are an online student, your ability to receive and understand these electronic messages is very important for success.
When you need help, communicate! Be clear about your concern so that the person you contact can understand the issue and act on your behalf. Remember who your resources are (see Step 2 above), and use them to help you stay on this path you have chosen. They want to help you, but they can't unless you communicate.
Step 4. Learn How to Use Canvas
The learning system that contains this course is called Canvas. Learn how to use it by learning the four tools listed below. Note that these tools will appear in different places depending on what kind of device you are using, like a laptop or smart phone.
- Modules: These contain all the instructions for completing work. You read and complete them from top to bottom.
- Announcements: These contain important information from your instructor. During this course, please read each one.
- Grades: This contains assignment grades and feedback. Review this often.
- Inbox: This allows you to communicate with your instructor and others in the course. Learn how to use it and go there often.
Canvas Questions has specific help articles for these and other Canvas tools.
Important note about navigation in this course: There are other tools in Canvas including Calendar, Coming Up and To-Do lists. If you use the links on your Calendar, Coming Up or To-Do lists to directly access your course activities, you will miss important information and instructions in the modules each week and become quickly confused. These resources are helpful to quickly see what's coming up but you shouldn't use them to link directly to your course activities. It is important that you navigate through your course by clicking Modules and working through the activities from top to bottom.
Step 5: Learn How the Course Works and Read the Syllabus
A typical week in this course includes a lesson, writing prep, math prep, gathering, and some assessments. Writing or math prep helps you get ready for this week's or next week's assessments.
- Devotional: Watch a short (about 10 minutes) inspirational talk and find insights and motivation to continue your path.
- Lesson: Learn important life skills including ways that you can apply them.
- Writing Prep: Learn about the writing skills you need to know to be able to complete an upcoming assessment. You can check your knowledge here by taking short, non-graded quizzes.
- Math Prep: Learn about and practice the math skills you need to know to be able to complete an upcoming assessment. You can practice here by taking short, non-graded quizzes.
- Gathering: You are required to attend a weekly gathering and report your attendance by the end of week due date. During the weekly gatherings, you teach and learn from each other. In this way, a learning community can develop, which can be quite positive. For more information on attendance policies, see the syllabus.
- Assessments: There are three kinds of graded assessments. They include the following:
- Application Activities—apply your learning to real-life skills and situations. In some weeks, the application activity is a writing assignment.
- Quizzes—these are graded and are a measurement of your understanding of key information from the course.
- Math Exams—these measure key math concepts. Each exam is comprised of a few small quizzes. You can retake any of them as many times as you want until the due date.
You may have your internet browser bookmark the PC 101 Assignments At-A-Glance as a way to quickly see what is due in each week.
Dates
Around course activities, assignments, and assessments, you may see up to three different dates. These include the following:
- Due—you will see a due date if the item is graded. For more information about late work, see the syllabus.
- Available From—this date, if present, indicates when the assignment opens and you can access it.
- Until—this date shows you when the assignment closes and you can no longer turn it in or complete it. For example, if a quiz closes, you can no longer take the quiz. If an assignment closes, you can no longer turn in the assignment. Special arrangements need to be made with your instructor to open assignments or quizzes that are closed.
Assignment Grades and Feedback
Some assignments, such as quizzes, are automatically scored by the computer and allow you to immediately know how you have done. These grades and associated feedback are generated by the course. A human grader will give you a grade and feedback on application activities. Since application activities are graded manually, it will take a bit longer to get back your grades and feedback. You can expect to receive a grade and any accompanying feedback for these types of assignments within a week of their due dates.
Application Activity Grades and Feedback Come In Many Ways
When application activities are graded and returned to you, you will see grades and feedback in many places. Please look in ALL of these places every time.
- Grade. Look for the overall grade. This will be a number.
- Rubric Markings. There is a rubric used to show you how the grade was decided. Look at it to see why you got what you got.
- Submission Comment. This is a comment made in Canvas about your submission. Read it carefully for personalized information about your performance on the submission.
- Annotation. This is a comment made directly on your submission. The comment will usually appear right next to the spot upon which it is commenting and can be very helpful in seeing exactly where you did well or could improve. Please watch this video about how to see and work with annotations: Finding Your Feedback (Transcript)
Student Honor
The Student Honor Code is based upon principles of honesty and integrity. PathwayConnect students are expected to have high academic integrity and strive to live by the Student Honor Code. There is more about this in the syllabus, but the following are the basics:
- Do your own work. Do not let others do the work for you.
- All of your writing must be from you. If you use the ideas or words of another, you must use quotation marks where appropriate, and cite the source.
- Be kind and respectful.
Syllabus
A syllabus is a document that describes the course and lists the course policies, or rules. You will be expected to follow the policies. Read the syllabus and become familiar with the rules. This includes information about grades, attendance, due dates and other policies. It's a long document, so take your time to read it.
In many lessons, you will be asked to ponder and record your thoughts in a learning journal. A learning journal is optional and will not be graded. However, it is highly recommended. It's a great way to gain and retain insights.
- How can reflecting on what you learn help you remember it?
- What are some ways you can keep a learning journal (e.g., paper, electronic)?
Step 6: Update Your Canvas Settings
Remember, the system you use to complete this course is called Canvas. Canvas has settings you must update now. Settings change your experience with Canvas so it is just right for you. Follow the steps and guidelines on in the these articles:
Step 7: Prepare Your Software
To succeed in this course, you need certain software. The following steps can help you verify that you have it.
- Update your internet browser. When accessing your course, you will need to have the latest version of your internet browser installed on your device. Visit the following page to see which browsers are supported in Canvas: What are the browser and computer requirements for Canvas?
- Tip: If you ever experience technical difficulty, try closing and reopening your browser or using another browser. If you still need assistance, visit with your peer mentor.
- Note that you may use a browser to translate the content in the webpage linked above but some video content may not be available in your language.
- Check access to Microsoft products. Most of the assignments in this course will be in Microsoft formats (like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). If you do not already have access to Microsoft products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), you can get access by obtaining a free Microsoft account at https://www.outlook.com. In addition, Microsoft offers free Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps for mobile devices. Your Microsoft account can be associated with these apps. See the following help pages for step by step instructions:
Help make our courses quicker and cheaper to access in your community!
Install a Chrome plug-in that allows us to gather data from your experience in I-Learn that we can use to make our courses quicker to access and therefore, less expensive. The plugin does not gather any personal data. Follow these setup instructions: Real User Monitoring Chrome Extension Instructions.
Important note for students outside the United States:
Your computer and browser language must be set to English for the United States. Search the internet for instructions on changing the language settings on your specific device. If you need assistance, contact your peer mentor.
Download the Canvas Student App
This is an optional resource that you can use to access your course on the go. Through the Canvas Student App for mobile devices, you can check your grades and send a comment about them to your instructor. You can interact on discussions, read the course materials, take quizzes, contact your instructor, and more. See the article called Quick Start: Using Canvas on the Mobile App for instructions on using the app.
Step 8: Celebrate!
You have made it to the bottom of this lesson, and you are still breathing, maybe just barely! This is a lot of information to process, especially in your first week of PathwayConnect. The next lessons in the weeks to come will be much less technically demanding. Congratulations for getting through the lesson and preparing yourself for what comes next.