Brigham Young University-Idaho is a teaching university located in Rexburg, Idaho. Previously known as Ricks College, it changed from primarily a two-year junior college to an innovative four-year university.
While on this road it eliminated some traditional things, like the tenure system for professors and intercollegiate athletics. However, it retains the common things all church sponsored schools share.
What emerged is a school that preserves the best of the past, while embracing the possibilities of the future.
Utilizes Innovative Learning Model
The traditional model holds that teachers lecture, while students passively listen. However, most teachers usually have their own learning model that they then impose on their students.
Some teachers foster discussion, active participation, learning by doing, etc. This can change, based on the subject and what concept the teacher is trying to teach. Whatever is used, the teacher is the one who determines it. This makes it an individual teaching model, rather than a learning model.
At BYU-Idaho, they have adopted a university-wide learning model, based on the gospel, that all students, faculty and staff follow. Under this learning model, it is the responsibility of the student to learn, and to teach others.
This model features three steps and five principles:
Three Step Learning Model:
- Prepare
- Teach One Another
- Ponder/Prove
The Five Principles that Guide the Learning Model:
- Exercise Faith
- Learn by the Holy Ghost
- Lay Hold on the Word of God
- Act for Themselves
- Love, Serve and Teach One Another
Year-Round Calendar System Accelerates Your Education
Most campuses open in the fall and close down as the summer arrives. This traditional system results in campuses being underutilized or, at worst, wasted for one third of the year.
BYU-Idaho operates year round in equal 14 week semesters: Fall, Winter and Spring. This means the campus is fully operational, all year long.
Students usually attend two semesters and then take a semester off. With this in mind, all BYU-Idaho students are assigned to one of three equal tracks.
Two consecutive semesters form a track. The three tracks are:
- Fall/Winter: September until April
- Winter/Spring: January until July
- Spring/Fall:April until July and September until December
Under this system, students are admitted all year and course offerings are expanded. This lowers costs, because facilities and employees are not idled over the summer, for example. It also allows students to graduate faster.
Foundationals are the Core of Your Learning Experience
Instead of offering General Education (G.E.) or liberal studies requirements on various topics, BYU-Idaho offers Foundations courses that are integrative and much more in-depth than the typical courses students take at other schools.
These are the five foundational areas:
- Eternal Truths
- Academic Fundamentals
- Science
- Cultural Awareness
- Connections.
Eternal truths may be termed religion courses at other schools. Science courses integrate many branches of typical scientific fields. Cultural awareness courses integrate many of the typical social sciences. Connections addresses analytical thinking and moral judgment.
So, how does this work? Consider the Academic Fundamentals course FDENG 101 and read the summary:
Emphasizes critical thinking and effective written and oral communication within academic and social contexts. Examines contemporary arguments in audio/video, Internet, and print media. Introduces critical reading strategies, the writing process, research, and documentation.
At traditional schools you may have to take multiple English and communications courses to get all of these disparate, but related, concepts addressed. For example, oral communications is usually a separate class from written communications.
BYU-Idaho integrates traditional subjects and offers interdisciplinary learning, allowing students a much broader education but also one with more depth.
Heavy Focus on Internships
Instead of being an optional add-on to your education, internships are seen as integral. This allows students to apply what they have learned in the classroom.
No true education would be complete without it and BYU-Idaho has made it an important feature of every student's education.
It also has a practical application for employers who go on to hire their former interns.
Emphasizes Online Learning
The Internet has revolutionized learning, but many traditional schools are lagging in incorporating it into their programs.
BYU-Idaho offers online courses that mirror on-site courses. On-site students can enroll in online learning and remote students can eventually become on-site students.
This blended learning experience enhances educational scheduling and the flexibility for the school and the students.
Operates the Pathway Program
The Pathway Program, operated by BYU-Idaho, may be the major way students are able to obtain an education from an LDS school, attend Institute or learn English in the future.
Still in it's infancy, students begin learning online with the ability to become regular students at any of the Church's schools.
Students meet at least weekly with Pathway missionaries at a Church's Institute facility while progressing in their online studies. They also have the opportunity to practice their English speaking skills and deepen their testimonies while conversing online with volunteers.
Conclusion
BYU-Idaho is currently in a class by itself. What it offers students now and in the future is unique. No other schools offer what it does in traditional education, current education and future education; blending on-site advantages with digital options. And, it does it in a way that allows personalized attention while addressing large numbers of students.
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