Welcome to PC 101 Life Skills

This course is the first part of PathwayConnect, which is operated by BYU-Pathway Worldwide. PathwayConnect is the recommended start to every degree. Offered at a significantly reduced cost, it lasts three semesters and includes foundational courses — completely online — that help you see increased success. Take a moment to review the outcomes of PathwayConnect: PathwayConnect Outcomes.

Overview of PC 101 Life Skills

Course Description

This course invites you to discern your pathway in life and strengthen your ability to pursue it. Your pathway is a road that you construct based on an understanding of your stewardships, your aspirations, strengths and talents. It is based on an understanding of the challenges and constraints that you need to endure, reframe, or overcome. Activities invite you to learn about and practice educational stewardship, time management, financial management, avoiding thinking errors, and talent development. You use math, writing, and other important skills to inform and strengthen your work. You also meet every week with other students in live gatherings in order to help and teach one another. 

PC 101 is a 3 credit course.

Course Outcomes

Life Skills Outcomes

• The student identifies learning strategies for personal improvement
• The student prioritizes their time and sets attainable goals
• The student applies basic financial management skills to their personal budget
• The student applies strategies to overcome thinking errors
• The student creates a plan to develop a talent

Writing Outcomes

• The student writes for an audience and with a purpose, at a basic college level
• The student writes introductory paragraphs that contain a hook and thesis statement
• The student writes body paragraphs that contain a single controlling idea and supporting details
• The student writes conclusion paragraphs that revisit themes of the essay and provide closure
• The student writes multi-paragraph essays, at a basic college level

Math Outcomes

• The student performs basic arithmetic with whole numbers
• The student performs basic arithmetic with decimals and percentages
• The student performs basic arithmetic with fractions
• The student simplifies expressions with a single variable
• The student solves equations for a single variable
• The student enters data, creates charts and interprets data in Excel

Course Materials

You must have consistent access to a computer with a reliable internet connection in order to be successful in this online course. If you have not already done so, you will also need to download and install Microsoft Office from your BYU-Pathway Worldwide Student Portal. To get to your student portal, go to the BYU Pathway website and sign in. All learning materials are contained within this course; no additional textbooks are required.

Course Architecture

This course is divided into 14 weeks, each one following the Learning model. Every week, you will be asked to do some preparatory coursework online. This will prepare you to come to the gathering to teach one another. Note that some gatherings may occur before this midweek deadline. After learning from and teaching each other, you will need to finish some final application assignments by the end of each week.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For each credit you are taking, you should plan on spending three hours to study. For example, PC 101 and PC 102 are three-credit courses. That means you should plan to spend about nine hours studying for each of these courses. That time includes your gathering. If you know you will not be able to devote this much time to the class this semester, please consider enrolling at another time when you can make such a commitment.

Dates

Around course activities, assignments, and assessments, you may see up to three different dates:

• Due. You will see a due date if the item is graded.
• 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.

Activity Descriptions

• Life Skills Lesson. Learn important life skills including ways you can apply them.
• Learning Journal. This is optional, but highly recommended. Watch for “Ponder and Record” boxes in the course and use your learning journal to respond. Journaling like this helps you discover insights and patterns in your life.
• Writing Lesson. Learn how to write a part of the upcoming writing assignment.
• Writing Practice. Practice a part of the upcoming writing assignment and receive instructor feedback.
• Gathering. Students are required to attend a weekly gathering. They will then be required to report their attendance by the Saturday due date. During the weekly gatherings, students teach and learn from each other. Over the semester, a learning community can develop, which can be quite positive.
• Math Exercises. These weekly quizzes are longer and meant to help you practice the concepts taught during the week. Practice is a critical part of learning math. You can take the quizzes as many times as you want with no penalty until the due dates. Note the following:
  1. The highest score of all your attempts will be your recorded grade.
  2. If you take a quiz after the due date, you will get a late penalty. This will reduce your final grade on the quiz.
  3. Quizzes close 7 days after the due date.
• Application Activity. Apply your learning to real-life skills and situations. In some weeks, the application activity is a writing assignment. Turn in for instructor feedback.
• Writing Assignment. Early in the semester, students produce a one paragraph writing assignment with important organizational elements. They then produce three multi-paragraph essays throughout the semester. Each essay features important organizational elements such as a hook, thesis statement, topic sentences, supporting details, etc. In some weeks, the application activity is a writing assignment.
• Grammar Lesson and Quiz. In the Student Resources module, review or learn important grammar concepts, then take an optional, non-graded quiz to check your understanding. Your instructor may refer you to one or more of these through feedback on your work.

Course Organization

In order to meet the outcomes, this course follows a topical path that builds on itself. Certain weeks are organized into larger units. There are consistent assignment due dates and accountability reports due each week. Please note that failure to complete assignments and activities by their due date will significantly affect your final grade.

Support

There are many layers of support in this course and for you as a PathwayConnect student. Review this document, as well as the information below for details on how you are supported as a student.

BYU-Pathway Worldwide Student Portal

The BYU-Pathway Worldwide Student Portal is the center for all of the information about you as a student. You should visit the portal every time you sit down to study. To get to your student portal, go to the BYU- Pathway website and sign in. On it you can see many important things, such as the following:

• Dates and deadlines
• Announcements
• Contact information of the missionaries who support your gathering group
• Location of your gathering
• Your tuition information
• Registration options (when registration opens)
• Academic Planning tools

Math or Writing Trouble

If you are having trouble with the Math or Writing in this class, first relax and say a little prayer. Know that you are not alone. Relaxing can lower anxiety, which can raise your ability to focus. Here are some additional steps you can take as an active learner responsible for your own education:

 

Math Trouble	Writing Trouble
Watch the appropriate lesson video again.	Re-read relevant portions of the writing lessons and practices
Try to solve the appropriate practice problems that have solutions you can check.	Look for instructor feedback on your writing practices and assignments. Many students do not realize there is helpful feedback waiting for them to read.
Click on the appropriate link to Khan Academy resources and watch.	Look in the Student Resources module for grammar and vocabulary practice. These are non-graded and meant for learning and practice.
Reach out to other students in your course.
Reach out to your instructor.
Get a free tutor. Look in the Student Resources module at the bottom of the modules page for a link to tutoring. Follow the instructions there to contact a tutor.

Registration and Tuition

The Pathway Support Center is available to help with many questions relating to your enrollment, tuition, registration, and other similar matters. 

Instructor Issues

While the vast majority of PathwayConnect students are pleased with their online instructors, students may occasionally have a complaint or issue with an instructor that needs attention. If this applies to you, visit the What Can I do If I Have a Complaint About My Instructor? section on the Courses and Gatherings help page on byupathway.lds.org.

Course Issues

If you have issues with the course, please reach out to your instructor immediately. Your instructor is best positioned to respond and help if course issues are impacting your ability to complete work or receive scores. Issues might include the following:

• Broken links
• Confusing instructions or deadlines
• Where to find grades and feedback

Policies

Student Honor and Other Policies

Please read through the document called University Policies. It gives important information about the following topics:

• Academic Honesty
• Student Conduct
• Sexual Misconduct
• Assistance for Students with disabilities
• Complaints and Grievances

Next, view the video below to better understand the challenges and blessings of being honest in your studies.

(3:25 mins, Academic Honesty Transcript)

Feedback on Assignments

You will receive two types of feedback on the work you do for this course. Some assignments, such as quizzes, are automatically graded by the system and allow you to know immediately how well you have done. The Application Activities require an instructor to carefully read and evaluate your responses, which take longer to grade. Remember, your instructor is required to grade not only your assignments but all of your classmates' work as well. You can expect to receive a grade and any accompanying feedback for these types of assignments within a week of their due dates.

Gathering Attendance Policy

PathwayConnect students are expected to attend all gatherings during the semester. For those who gather in a face to face setting, this includes physical attendance every week. If you gather physically, you cannot substitute your physical presence with Skype, phone, or similar means.

If students do not attend the weekly gatherings, they will not be able to:

• Meet with peers
• Complete important assignments
• Teach one another
• Earn a full grade for attendance.

If traveling, students may visit another gathering location and still obtain credit. However, this should be an exception. This exception does not apply to religion courses though. Before visiting a site, students should tell the missionaries at both sites. Contact information can be found on the BYU-Pathway Worldwide website or by contacting Pathway Support.

Students should contact the instructor in cases of extenuating circumstances such as:

• death in the family,
• medical emergency,
• the birth of a child,
• or other serious or unsafe situations.

For virtual students, regional power or internet outages where you can't reasonably find an internet connection may keep you from a gathering. However, you should consider one or two emergency alternatives for access to the internet in case something happens to your connection.

Pathway missionaries may cancel a gathering due to a national holiday, severe weather, or other unsafe situations. If such a situation occurs, students should complete the gathering attendance report and mark that the gathering was cancelled. All other assignments should be completed that week. 

For more information on the attendance policy, please read the Pathway Handbook, section 5.5 or contact Pathway Support.

Grading

Grading Categories: Students are expected to be active learners. This means completing assignments on time, being prepared for the weekly gathering, and actively participating in the course.

Letter Grade	Percentage Range
A	100% - 94%
A-	93% - 90%
B+	89% - 87%
B	86% - 83%
B-	82% - 80%
C+	79% - 77%
C	76% - 73%
C-	72% - 70%
D+	69% - 67%
D	66% - 63%
D-	62% - 60%
F	59% - 00%

Note: You will need a B average in order to enroll into the BYU-Idaho Online Certificate or Degree Program.

Turning work in on time is a sign of professionalism and respect for the instructor as well as the other students in the class. Students are expected to submit all work on time. It is good practice to reserve time in your schedule to work on your assignments several days before assignments are due. This time will allow you to appropriately handle interruptions to your schedule (such as unforeseen work or family obligations) or to resolve any technical issues that may arise and still submit your work in a timely manner.

If you have a situation in which you need to submit work later than the due date, contact your instructor for assistance. Your instructor will inform you of your options and the specific consequences of late work. Due to the interactive nature of PathwayConnect Gatherings, late work will not be accepted on those course activities.

If you do not submit an assignment by the due date, that assignment will automatically be given a score of zero. Beginning in Week 04, if you choose to submit work late, you may receive points for that late assignment. However, the points for that late assignment will be automatically reduced a certain percentage each day that it is late. Also, most assignments close for submission 7 days after the due date. After this time, you will no longer be able to submit and will receive zero points for the missing assignment. To prevent losing points on late assignments, it is best to submit your work early.

The BYU-Idaho Learning Model emphasizes "teaching one another." Teaching and learning from each other helps students to understand the content more effectively. It also fosters unselfish service. Students will teach one another in the gathering and in any online discussions. This can be effectively done by:

• Arriving early to the gathering, staying until the end, and being an active learner. See the Gathering Guide for more information.
• Participating in any online discussions by responding to posts with meaningful information or personal application, and asking follow-up questions.

Disclaimer Statement

BYU-Pathway Worldwide or the instructor may change this syllabus. If any changes are made, students will be notified through email or through the course site. If a student remains in this course, BYU-Pathway Worldwide and the online instructor will assume that the student has read and understood the information in this document.