Additional Navigation

Social Online Universal Learning (SOUL)

SOUL places the adult woman learner at the center of the college learning experience.

What is SOUL? SOUL is a data-driven approach to learning that helps make the student experience at The American Women's College more personal and more supportive.

Why SOUL?

In 2013, The American Women's College (TAWC) was founded with a mission to expand access to higher education to the 76 million American women who do not have a college degree.

To accomplish this mission, we realized that innovative practices were needed to improve performance, retention, and graduation rates for these nontraditional learners. By pairing SOUL's analytics with our personalized instruction and support services, we can now anticipate and respond to a student's unique learning needs and increase her chance of educational success!

Leading the Nation in Education Innovation

In 2014, Bay Path was one of only 24 US institutions to receive a prestigious FIPSE grant (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education) from the US Dept. of Education. This grant helped us develop and implement the SOUL program.

Key Features of SOUL

SOUL Connect (BPU099) – This important on-boarding program helps each new TAWC student get oriented in the program and strategize with her Educator Coach to prepare for the academic journey ahead.
SOUL graphic
Accelerated Pace – Key to SOUL's success is its accelerated pace. Each session is just six weeks long. During each session, one or two 3-credit courses may be completed. Throughout the year, six accelerated sessions are offered.

SOUL KP (KnowledgePath) – The SOUL KnowledgePath customizes instruction to the unique needs of each student by suggesting learning modalities that are most likely to help her in that particular subject. Available modalities include text, videos, audio clips, and interactive exercises.

Wrap-around Support – Each student is partnered with a dedicated Educator Coach. If a student begins to struggle, SOUL's learning analytics and predictive models alert the Educator Coach who then can reach out to the student with specialized support before she falls behind.

SOUL Communities – SOUL provides students with virtual learning communities to engage and network with other TAWC students who share their goals and professional interests. Program directors and faculty members facilitate these online interactions so students typically learn about professional associations, read articles on topics in their chosen fields, join practice-based discussions, and explore relevant job postings.

SOUL Connect for Educators – Through this program, our faculty learn how to use analytics to inform both their class instruction and student support.

Students who have experienced SOUL rave about it:

“I feel most grateful for the deliberate focus on building a supportive community. I also appreciate the commitment to assuring us that reaching out to ask for help is important.”
- Tracy C., Leadership and Organizational Studies