Over the past five years, BYU Independent Study (BYU IS) has experienced consistent year-over-year growth, culminating in a record-high enrollment in high school courses earlier this May. This success is largely due to a strategic shift in focus led by the Online Learning Department, under the direction of Scott Harris, Director of Online Learning. Since Harris joined BYU IS in 2021, not only has enrollment increased, but the number of high school courses developed annually has grown significantly as well.
Harris’s leadership style centers on collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement. Whether it’s reducing turnaround time for course packaging or monitoring enrollment growth in relation to budget allocations, Harris uses a range of metrics to track progress and identify areas for improvement. This ongoing growth, he believes, reflects the value these programs provide. "We're working with the values. We are enlightening minds, encouraging growth, and giving people new opportunities. . . . And that's what I think the numbers are reflecting: that people are seeing this does work in their lives.”
With days filled with back-to-back meetings, Harris views each one as an opportunity to ensure that BYU Continuing Education’s (CE) online programs operate smoothly. He oversees a wide array of initiatives, including BYU Online, Independent Study University and High School, and the instructional design teams, and meets weekly with direct reports, as well as dozens of course creators, designers, and support staff.
These meetings typically begin with Harris asking, “What was your biggest win?” as a way to highlight what’s going well. From there, the discussion turns to the three main priorities each person is working on that week. They then identify any obstacles and explore strategies to remove those barriers, enabling the team to move more quickly, work more effectively, and ultimately deliver a better experience for the customer.
“Our goal is to meet state standards,” he said. “[One] thing I've really focused on here is lean, lean, lean, lean. Let's meet what we need to and nothing more.” However, for students seeking more than just the basics, each course includes a Want More section, giving them the opportunity to explore topics in greater depth.
All courses are also designed with accessibility in mind. This includes incorporating parent and student feedback and using AI tools to gather input from both instructors and learners to inform ongoing improvements. The feedback not only helps shape better courses but also creates a sense of purpose. “Hearing the great feedback is what's the most meaningful part [of working here].”
Harris credits the quality of the courses as a key reason behind the program’s success. “Having phenomenal courses is definitely helping, but that's just one part of the equation,” he said. “The other part is we're getting better at marketing them, so we've worked really hard with the marketing team as to how do we become more effective and find new ways [to do so].”
For Harris and his team, success isn’t just measured by enrollment numbers or production benchmarks. “Our main success is our mission statement right there to be inspiring lifelong learning to benefit the world,” he said. “I want to see children of God having better opportunities to serve themselves, their families, and their communities.”
It’s this commitment to BYU CE’s mission that keeps Harris and his team moving forward, one well-designed course at a time.