What would higher education look like if it were designed from the beginning for students who need education to be affordable, flexible, relevant, and immediately useful?

In Part 1 of our conversation with Brian Ashton, president of BYU-Pathway Worldwide, and Boyd Baggett, associate academic vice president for curriculum at BYU-Idaho, we explore a model now serving nearly 100,000 students around the world.

Brian and Boyd explain how BYU-Pathway combines online-first design, dramatically different tuition models, student support, and job-ready stackable certificates to create pathways into meaningful work and bachelor's degrees. We also discuss how designing specifically for online education changes the economics of higher education—and how BYU-Pathway uses data, instructional design, and AI to support students at scale.

Along the way, Brian shares the story of a student in Argentina whose first certificate helped launch a career that eventually led to a vice president role at JPMorgan Chase.

In this episode:

• Why talent may be equally distributed while opportunity is not
• How BYU-Pathway serves students in nearly 200 countries
• Designing for online learning rather than adapting a campus model
• Keeping education affordable while maintaining quality
• Why students begin with job-ready certificates instead of general education
• How stackable certificates lead toward associate and bachelor's degrees
• Using data and AI to provide better student support at scale
• Designing curriculum around changing labor-market needs
• Preparing students not simply to use AI, but to develop judgment and become lifelong learners

This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. In Part 2, we explore one of BYU-Idaho and BYU-Pathway's most significant innovations: the three-year bachelor's degree.

Guests: Brian Ashton, President, BYU-Pathway Worldwide; Boyd Baggett, Associate Academic Vice President for Curriculum, BYU-Idaho

Join us at www.engagedbydesign.com to learn more about

• The Course Design Accelerator
• Faculty-in-the-Loop AI in Higher Education