Alert: Please be aware that we will be performing maintenance on the FSCP and CE exam system on April 4th from 8 AM to 5 PM. During those hours you will not be able to take FSCP exams or proctored CE128 exams. No other programs will be affected.

Personal Pathway®

Grab the bull by the horns. Even if it's a bear.

Take Control of Your Education and Career

Our Personal Pathway® learning model puts you, the student, at the center of the educational experience and allows you to choose a more regimented path or the freedom of a total self-study experience. We recognize that learning doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all solution, and in this digital age, you shouldn’t have to choose between your education and your career.

With Personal Pathway®, you’ll also get all the benefits of 21st-century e-learning, with a curriculum developed by The College’s expert faculty to leverage the technological possibilities of our best-in-class learning management system that makes your education available on-demand, whenever and wherever you are.

 

Learning, at Your Own Pace

During your courses, you can follow a structured path designed to guide you from week to week, or you can work at your own pace and potentially complete your course and take your exam faster. On any given day, you can spend as much or as little time on your studies as you want. And, if you want to take a few weeks off, you can do that too and catch up later.

The point is: Personal Pathway® lets you control your learning. It’s self-study and clear guidance. Do-it-yourself and never-on-your-own. Flexible and structured.

 

Personal Pathway® Course Features

Depending on your course, Personal Pathway® offers a number of tools to help you retain and apply the knowledge you gain, and you get them for one flat tuition rate, regardless of which study path you choose to pursue. 

The Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®), CFP® Certification Education, and Chartered Life Underwriter® (CLU®) programs all feature the option of weekly office hours with instructors, live and recorded regular webinars, and interactive lesson reviews, as well as lively discussion forums and quizzes to assess your progress.

Your final course for the CFP® Certification Education program offers exclusive focus on applied case studies, while the capstone ChFC® course combines the features of core courses and case studies for a truly all-encompassing experience.

Personal Pathway® FAQ

What is the Personal Pathway® learning model? 

Personal Pathway® is a learning model that employs a multi-modal and evidence-based learning experience to ensure that you can apply what you learn in your field.   

Courses using the Personal Pathway® model follow a 14-week recommended learning path. The first 10 weeks feature structured lessons that include textbook readings, focused multimedia lesson reviews, discussion forum posts, preparatory quizzes, and a weekly webinar led by one of The College’s esteemed faculty members.  

The 4-week period following the recommended 10-week coursework is reserved for scheduling and taking your course's final exam. Personal Pathway® courses have some required coursework specifically designed to help you perform better on your final exams. You must complete the required coursework to sit for your final exam, but that coursework also counts toward your final course grade and reduces the stress of one high-stakes exam.  

Personal Pathway® puts you in charge of your learning. For example, if you complete your required coursework in seven weeks, you can schedule your final exam over the next seven weeks. You’ll always have 10 weeks to learn and complete coursework and at least four additional weeks to test, but you can finish sooner! 

 

Why are we offering Personal Pathway® as our new learning model? 

The College is evolving to deliver a more dynamic educational student experience. We’re providing an evidence-based learning experience with the benefits of our self-study offerings, plus weekly instructor-led webinars and enhanced lesson reviews.  

 

What are the benefits of Personal Pathway® courses? 

Personal Pathway® can feature many student-centric benefits depending on the course you are taking: 

  • A structured 14-week learning path designed to help you learn and retain the course content. 
  • Live webinars included. All learners are different, but their tuition shouldn’t be. All-inclusive education for one flat tuition. 
  • These live webinars increase your engagement with a course instructor or professor.
  • Webinar attendance is strongly encouraged, but not required. We record and archive each webinar for on-demand viewing.
  • Course requirements and a new grading system reduce the reliance on high-stakes final exams.  
  • The flexibility to complete the course sooner than 14 weeks. 
  • Evidence-based learning strategies designed to improve content retention. 
    • Discussions – Helps you elaborate on concepts and make connections to your field, which boost learning retention for your course's final exam and real-world applications.
    • Quizzes – Provides opportunities to practice recalling information.
    • Lesson Reviews – Multi-modal lesson reviews provide a fresh perspective on the most important concepts in each lesson.

 

What is the new Personal Pathway® grading policy?

The Personal Pathway® learning model seeks to avoid the stress of a high-stakes course final exam. We believe your ability to retain and apply knowledge should be measured throughout the learning experience. That’s why we’ve developed a weighted grading policy that takes into account coursework, participation, and a course final exam.

 

When will courses be available? 

New sections start on the first Thursday of every month. 

 

When can I enroll in a course? 

Courses start on the first Thursday of every month and live webinars will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays at either 5:30 PM EST or 8:00 PM EST depending on the class. You can enroll starting on the first day of the previous month. So, if you are a student who wants to start a new course in August, you can start enrolling in July. For students in a package, you’ll be automatically enrolled in the next available course upon completion of your current course. 

You’ll have instant access to your digital textbook, course syllabus, learning objectives and other resources. Access to lessons and graded course requirements will become available on the course start date. 

We recommend that you enroll before the course start date, but you can also enroll into a course that has already begun during the Add Period. The Add Period starts on the first Thursday of the month and runs through the following Wednesday. 

 

I missed the Add Period by a day. Why can’t I enroll? 

The enrollment Add Period allows you to enroll in a course a few days after the class start date. If you miss the enrollment Add Period, you’ll need to enroll into the course that starts the following month. This is because you’ll be learning in a condensed time frame, shortening the overall learning path and inadvertently missing the webinars. We believe that students should be set up for success and enrolling after the Add Period does not meet those criteria. 

 

When can I access my course? 

You can access some course materials immediately upon enrollment, like your digital textbook, course syllabus, learning objectives and other resources that give you a head start. This will also help keep you on track for the weekly webinars and ensure that you have access to the most accurate and up-to-date materials. All lessons and graded course requirements are available on the course start date.

 

Can I finish my coursework sooner than 10 weeks? 

Yes! Although we recommend completing one lesson per week for the duration of the 10-week period, you can complete the lessons and required coursework earlier. As soon as you finish the required coursework, you can schedule and take your final exam.  

 

I received physical textbooks for all my other courses. Why is there an additional fee for a physical textbook? 

We designed The Personal Pathway® courses to include an integrated, robust digital textbook that allows for notetaking, flashcard creation, and enhanced search functionality. For those students who still want a printed textbook, The College secured a 25% discount off the retail price with the publisher. However, we recommend that you try the digital textbook before you purchase a physical version. The digital textbook is far more advanced than just a PDF. You’ll now be able to: 

  • Search for specific topics in your textbook 
  • Highlight and take notes throughout the textbook 
  • Create flashcards 
  • Select a term to see the definition 
  • Look up key terms in Investopedia and/or Wikipedia 
  • Sync your notes, highlights, and flashcards across devices 
  • Use the “read aloud” feature to have your textbook read to you 
  • Pick up where you left off if you move between devices (laptop to mobile or tablet)  

 

I’m currently in a self-study version of the course. Will my course automatically switch to the Personal Pathway&®nbsp;version?  

No, if you’re currently enrolled in a previous version of the course, you’ll complete that course in the current model. We won’t switch you into the Personal Pathway® model in the middle of a course. 

 

I’m currently in a self-study version of the course but I’d like to switch to a Personal Pathway® version. What should I do? 

If you’re currently enrolled in a previous version of a course and would like to switch to the Personal Pathway® version, please contact an Academic Advisor at 888-263-7265 to make the switch at no additional cost. 

 

I failed the final exam in an old version of my course. Can I take my retake in the Personal Pathway® version? 

Yes, if you’d like to enroll in a retake course final exam in the Personal Pathway® model, please contact an Academic Advisor at 888-263-7265. They will help you enroll into the new version for a $300 re-enrollment fee.

Please know that by enrolling in the Personal Pathway® course for your retake, you’ll be learning under the new grading policy, and you must complete the course requirements before you can sit for that course's final exam. 

 

I didn’t sit for a final exam in a course I purchased. Can I take my reschedule in the Personal Pathway® version? 

Yes, if you’d like to take a reschedule course in the Personal Pathway® model, please contact an Academic Advisor at 888-263-7265. They will help you enroll into the new version for a $300 re-enrollment fee.

Please know that by enrolling in the Personal Pathway® course, you’ll be learning under the new grading policy, and you must complete the course requirements before you can sit for that course's final exam. 

 

When can I apply with my employer for tuition reimbursement?

If your employer reimburses you for courses you pass, you can apply for that reimbursement after you receive your final grade report via email. Remember, your course's final exam grade is not your final course grade, so it’s important to wait for your official grade report.

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