About us and our motivation

Based on the experience of teaching engineering thermodynamics and building STEM elearning tools, we have developed an automated tutorial tool for struggling students. Our goal is to increase the number of high-caliber engineers that graduate and go on to improve society. The hope is that our tool increases the quality of engineering education, increases the number of students that do well and complete the degree, and even increases the number of students that consider going into STEM.

Our first subject target is Engineering Thermodynamics, which is traditionally known as a most difficult subject for engineering students to master. Thermodynamics touches all branches of engineering, and knowledge of the subject helps students develop critical problem-solving skills for subsequent coursework

Pathway is unlike any other solver available today because it addresses the greatest challenge in engineering education: bridging that large gap between the word problem and the resulting governing equation. Our online tutorial tool answers the most common questions asked during office hours (How to set up the problem? Which equations to use, and why?). Pathway enables students of all performance levels to get the right amount of practice required to do well on exams, and Pathway enables students to independently explore the world of thermodynamics.

Retention rate, quality of education, skill level

Of the 50k students that enroll in mechanical engineering each year in the US, only 25k complete the degree each year. That's a 50% retention rate. Of those that complete the degree, many still have not attained masterful problem-solving skills. As shown in the figure below, an unacceptable number of graduates that have passed thermodynamics and graduate are still NOT able to pass the national standard FE exam on the subject of thermodynamics.

STEM is important

STEM professionals are the ones that create nearly all of the technological advances that we depend on. The innovations developed by STEM professionals create new industries, more jobs, and increase prosperity and quality of life. The reasons why we do not live in caves, why we can instantly communicate with someone thousands of kilometers away, how we can create new vaccines to save lives, or how a million people are flying above the clouds right now, is all due to the extremely small number of people in the STEM community. What if the number of STEM professionals doubled, tripled, or quadrupled to, say, 16% (see Figure: The leaky STEM pipeline)?

How Pathway can help

Pathway will give you a comprehensive understanding of thermodynamics that will allow you to pursue your degree with confidence. The problem-solving skills you gain will broaden your practical application of thermodynamics, further coursework, and throughout your engineering career. For what you would ordinarily pay for one hour of tutoring, you can have unlimited access to our online tutorial each month throughout the semester. Improve your problem-solving skills and go further in your career contributions with an affordable monthly subscription to Pathway.

Commerce policy

The $15/mo subscription price for Pathway was chosen and unanimously agreed upon on by undergraduate students. Once you subscribe, your personal passcode and a weblink will be immediately emailed to you. You'll then be able to access Pathway over the Web.

You may cancel your subscription at anytime.
You may restart your subscription at anytime.

We may be reached for questions at info@pathwayrocks.com

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