What is Pathwright and How Can I Use It To Teach?

Pathwright
(Image credit: Pathwright)

Pathwright was created as a modern learning management system, LMS, that could work in education on all levels.

Spawned from an idea back in 2010, this was what co-creators Paul and Mark came up with as a far more usable solution. The space then was cluttered, wordy, and chaotic. Their design-focused solution birthed the far more user-friendly Pathwright.

Built over a decade alongside creative educators, the goal was to offer a personal learning experience for others. At time of publishing, this system has helped more than 2 million learners who have completed 80+ million steps on these learning paths.

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This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how Pathwright could work for your class.

What is Pathwright?

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Pathwright is an online learning platform that's design-led -- it offers a way to make instruction easy for teachers and engaging for students.

This course-building platform lets educators create what the company calls learning paths, which guide students through lessons, activities, and discussions.

Teachers can design courses as needed with details such as deadlines, milestones, peer interaction, mentorship, and more, all included.

As such, this can work for schools delivering courses as well as individual educators selling online courses, for example. Not only can educators create courses but this also allows them to take advantage of student management features, monetization options, and more.

This digital classroom, professional development hub, and school learning platform is a versatile tool built for a wide array of uses.

Pathwright

Pathwright (Image credit: Pathwright)

How does Pathwright work?

Pathwright is primarily an online course creation and learning management platform. Teachers can be guided through the process of creating their own pathways, using video content, written lessons, assignments or projects, discussion prompts, plus quizzes and assessments.

This works with self-paced learning but also with cohort based programs. The latter sees students move as groups though the courses, which can be run with defined start and end dates, releasing lessons over time and encouraging students to progress together.

This model allows teachers to lead discussions, provide feedback, and create a more classroom-like experience online. Teachers can then track progress to see completion rates, areas of struggle, and discussion activity.

Pathwright

Pathwright (Image credit: Pathwright)

What are the best Pathwright features?

Pathwright offers a broad selection of tools that can be tailored to work across subject and topic ranges, inside and outside of school.

The way this works is that by using paths, it allows students to stay focused with a clarity from seeing what's coming next across the sequence of the course ahead.

The cohort-based learning is a helpful way to release lessons over time, allowing students to work through the tasks together, interacting with one another along the way.

That interaction moves into the community with an ability to post comments on lessons, join in discussions, and ask questions -- much like being in a physical world lesson.

The system allows for mentors. This can work with teaching assistants or other students, as a way to oversee groups of learners with support throughout.

For those selling in courses, this also offers a built-in payment system and the ability to integrate other apps, such as Stripe, as needed.

Pathwright

Pathwright (Image credit: Pathwright)

How much does Pathwright cost?

Pathwright uses a tiered pricing model designed for educators, small teams, and larger organizations. A free trial or free account option is available that allows educators to start building courses before committing to a paid plan.

Starter Plan: Around $99 per month for up to 1,000 members and one administrator.

Essentials Plan: Around $199 per month with more staff accounts, custom domains, and additional course features.

Complete Plan: Around $499 per month with unlimited cohorts and advanced capabilities.

Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing starting around $1,499 per month for large organizations requiring integrations, APIs, and advanced management tools.

Pathwright best tips and tricks

Start with a clear learning path
Outline the sequence of lessons and learning objectives so students move logically through the material.

Use cohorts for engagement
Run courses with start and end dates rather than leaving it fully self-paced. Cohorts encourage discussion, accountability, and higher completion rates.

Mix content types
Combine videos, text, and assignments to keep lessons engaging. Short interactive activities can help reinforce learning better than long lectures.

Luke Edwards is a freelance writer and editor with more than two decades of experience covering tech, science, and health. He writes for many publications covering health tech, software and apps, digital teaching tools, VPNs, TV, audio, smart home, antivirus, broadband, smartphones, cars and much more.