When Bay Path opened its doors to students in downtown Springfield in 1897, it had a very clear goal: to provide a practical, affordable, and career-oriented education to meet the needs of companies, organizations, and communities. From the beginning, Bay Path prided itself on being entrepreneurial, constantly pushing the boundaries of the academic experience to fit the student. To start them on the road to success. We still do.

Today, that spirit and philosophy are more important than ever in higher education. At Bay Path, it’s not just the number and breadth of programs that define us—and we have many—it is our ability to connect the classroom to learning, leadership, experience, and career that is at the core of what we do best.

Education is a lifelong journey.  Our faculty are scholars and practitioners who value the aspirations, experience, and knowledge that learners of all ages bring to the classroom.   Faculty also respect diverse learning styles and expect students to be active learners who are responsible for their own learning.  Learning in and out of the classroom, online or face-to-face, includes self-directed learning assignments, experiential learning, research projects, discussions, team assignments, films, critical thinking, creative thinking, writing, presentations, lectures, research, guest speakers, community service, and other activities.   Every course has a clear set of learning objectives and measurable outcomes.  Assignments are carefully designed to allow you the opportunity to provide students with feedback, advance students’ learning goals, and recognize their achievements.

We strive to design and deliver quality teaching and learning so that students can achieve their goals.  Bringing  diverse worldviews and perspectives into the classrooms, students learn from each other, as well as from the faculty who serve as facilitators, content experts, and leaders. We value class attendance, engagement, respectful relationships, collaboration, and performance throughout the teaching and learning process.  We appreciate and welcome student and faculty feedback about courses, instruction, and administrative practices. We believe that our students and faculty deserve the best we have to offer!

We appreciate the contributions that you make to our students and Bay Path University.  Your role as faculty is one of the most important aspects of the students’ learning experience, and we want to support you in any way we can. This handbook is designed to give you the information you will need immediately to succeed as a faculty member teaching online or on-campus with The American Women’s College, though 90% of the courses we run annually are fully online.

Please know that The American Women’s College,  as part of Bay Path University, is organized to engage and support you as important co-creators of the learning experiences for our students and productive teaching environments for you. We welcome your questions, concerns, ideas, and expertise.  Together, we can create a community of engaged scholars and leaders who make a difference.

Watch this brief video [1:50] featuring Andrea St. Louis, an online instructor for our WELL courses.  In this video, Andrea shares what excites her about teaching online, her passion for empowering women, and her appreciation for being a part of each students’ journey.