Academic Consultants

We have a dedicated team of full-time marketing representatives based in Provo, Utah, who travel nationwide to meet personally with counselors and educators. Each academic consultant also oversees a group of field representatives located throughout the country—ready and available to meet with you in your area.

John Best
John Best
Academic Consultant
AZ, CA, IN, KS, MI, NE, NV, ND, OH, OK, SD, UT, WY
801-422-2048
Mike Brousseau
Mike Brousseau
Academic Consultant
AR, CA, FL, GA, MT, NY, NC, PA, SC, TX, UT, WA
801-422-5854
John Bushman
John Bushman
Director of Marketing
International and HI
801-422-3985
Dave Hoffman
Dave Hoffman
Manager, Sales and Academic Outreach
All states
801-422-7466
John Kent
John Kent
Academic Consultant
AK, CA, CO, DE, IA, MD, NJ, NM, TX, UT, VA, WA, WV
801-422-8101
Jedd Maylett
Jedd Maylett
Academic Consultant
CA, CT, ID, KY, ME, MA, NH, OH, OR, RI, TN, UT, VT, WA
801-422-2065
Brad Snelson
Brad Snelson
Academic Consultant
AL, CA, CO, IL, LA, MI, MN, MS, MO, OR, UT, WI
801-422-3649

Still have questions?

Feel free to reach out—we will be happy to help.

  (800) 914-8931

 

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We create opportunities

 

BYU Independent Study makes it possible for students across the globe to earn course credits—anytime and anywhere, at an affordable price. 

Enrollment

2,000,000+

Enrollments

Knowledge Gain

153

Countries

Course Satisfaction

148

Highly Credentialed
Teachers (PhD/MS)

Established

100+ Years

Experience

John Best

Academic Consultant

AZ, CA, IN, KS, MI, NE, NV, ND, OH, OK, SD, UT, WY

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A Flexible Path to Education: Roland’s Journey with BYU Independent Study

Media Team. Aug 1, 2025

3 min read

For Roland Wright, a high school senior from West Virginia, education has always needed to be as dynamic as his dreams. With aspirations to play college golf, Roland found the perfect fit in BYU Independent Study—an accredited program that gave him the freedom to train year-round without falling behind academically.

 

From Setback to Solution

When Roland’s Catholic high school suddenly closed, his family faced an unexpected challenge. “We didn’t want to return to public school, and after an internet search, found BYU Independent Study,” says his father, Eric Wright.

That decision quickly turned into a pivotal opportunity. Roland was able to relocate to Florida for five months during the winter to train intensively while continuing his high school coursework online.

“Without the online courses and its transferable credit, my son wouldn’t be where he is today,” Eric explains.

 

Flexibility Meets NCAA Readiness

The program’s flexible, self-paced model allowed Roland to learn on his own terms while meeting NCAA eligibility requirements for student-athletes. He successfully completed twelfth-grade English and pre-calculus courses.

“It makes you feel like you’re actually going to a high school,” Eric says, praising the user-friendly platform and structure.

Roland stayed on track academically while honing his skills on the golf course—laying the foundation for college recruitment and scholarship opportunities.

 

Supported by the HOPE Scholarship

Financial accessibility also played a key role. The Wright family used West Virginia’s HOPE Scholarship, a state-funded program that supports alternative private education. Eric even helped BYU Independent Study become an approved provider for the HOPE Scholarship—ensuring families like his could benefit from the curriculum.

“It’s about finding what works for you,” Eric says. “BYU gave Roland the chance to follow his passion while still receiving a great education—and that’s something we’ll always be grateful for.”

 

Empowering Students to Take the Lead

For Roland, BYU Independent Study wasn’t just a backup plan—it was a launching pad. The program gave him the tools and flexibility to take charge of his future and chase his goals with confidence.

His story is a reminder that when education adapts to the student—not the other way around—remarkable things can happen. To learn more, visit is.byu.edu or explore West Virginia’s HOPE scholarship program at hopescholarshipwv.gov.

Homeschool Blog

Engineering His Own Path: How Ian Built a Custom High School Experience Through BYU Independent Study

Read More

A Flexible Path to Education: Roland’s Journey with BYU Independent Study

Aug 1, 2025, 3 min read

Read More

From Homeschool to College Ready: Jonathan’s BYU Independent Study Journey

Apr 4, 2025, 2 min read

Read More

Author Online Courses for High School and Middle School

woman holding books

Overview

 

BYU Independent Study seeks high school teachers or course authors to help write online middle school and high school courses for a worldwide audience. This is meaningful, important work that requires existing curriculum development skills. Course authors must be able to simplify educational content and make it relevant through writing, finding, or creating short instructional videos, graphic organizers, activities, and other tactics, ensuring student engagement, all while adhering to content standards.

 

Course students sign up and complete the curriculum autonomously, with access to a teacher and teaching assistants (TAs) who can help them as needed. This means the online content must be scaffolded well and easily digested by individuals of various academic levels and backgrounds.

Requirements

 

The following skills:

 

  • Teaching or authoring a high- or middle-school academic course, as well as an online course.

  • Writing course content at a fifth to eighth grade reading level.

  • Creating content with a global perspective, considering students of all academic levels and backgrounds, while also being culturally sensitive and mindful of a diverse audience beyond a US-centric focus.

  • Making content relevant to real life, writing with a “teacher voice” so students feel supported, and giving students options in their assessments so they can choose how to demonstrate they have met the standards.

  • Developing scaffolding content into cognitively manageable pieces, so online students are not overwhelmed.

 

For reference, please review some of our existing courses:

 

View Middle School Courses

View High School Courses

woman in classroom
man at computer

Application Process

 

Submit your application and attach a sample lesson. As courses come up on our design schedule over the next year or two, we will review the list of interested authors and contact you as needed. If selected, you can work as an independent contractor.

 

Use our template to create and submit your sample lesson. We will be looking for the following:

 

  • clear learning outcomes

  • clarity and simplicity in your writing

  • how you add relevance and meaning

  • how you choose to assess students

 

Sample Lesson Plan  

Lesson Plan Template  

 

 

Submit Information and Lesson Plan 

View All Open Positions on Our Job Center

 

Are you interested in being a counselor at FSY? Wondering if you can work at BYU Education Week? We also need current BYU students for part-time positions within our Student Success Center, customer support, and other areas. Find positions through our job center.

 

View Open Positions

Still have questions?

Feel free to reach out—we will be happy to help.

  (800) 914-8931

 

Contact Us

Resources for Current Proctors

View tutorials, guidelines or submit a Proctor Address Change Request

 

Login to Proctor Portal

Proctor Guidelines

 

  1. Students may not be tutored and proctored by the same staff member. 

  2. Exams must be administered at the educational facility where you are employed. Exams will never be mailed to your home address. 

  3. Proctors must verify the identity of the student with a photo ID and read all of the exam instructions to the student before they begin the exam. 

  4. Exams must be administered on the proctor’s computers. Students may never use their own technology during the exam. 

  5. Online exam access codes should never be used until the student is ready to take the exam and should never be in the student's possession. The paper exams must remain sealed until the student is ready to take it; the exam should never be in the student’s possession except when they are taking it. 

  6. The exam must be taken in one sitting. If the student has not scheduled properly to give appropriate time to complete his or her exam, the student cannot come back another day to complete the exam. Please send the exam back to our office if the student was unable to complete it. 

  7. The student must remain under the supervision of the proctor for the duration of the exam. Proctors must remain in the room with the student or must be able to observe the student and the student’s screen at all times while the student is taking the exam. If the student is uncomfortable with the proctoring situation (e.g., the setting is one-on-one with the proctor) a parent, friend, or chaperone may be present, along with the proctor, so long as the student does not interact with that person during the exam. Receiving assistance from any person during the exam is considered academic misconduct and is grounds for receiving a failing grade for the course.

  8. Students cannot take the exam with unauthorized books, notes, reference aids, or navigate away from the exam to other windows or sites of any kind unless specified on the exam instructions. Students cannot take notes on the exam or have any part of it to study after taking it. The student or the proctor cannot duplicate the exam in any way. 

  9. Proctors must collect all papers and questions at the conclusion of the exam. Online exams: Shred any scratch paper. Paper Exams: All materials, including exam questions, signed coversheet, and any scratch paper must be sealed and mailed back by the proctor in the envelope provided. 

  10. If the requested proctor is unable to proctor the exam, please call the Independent Study office to certify another proctor. Do not hand over the exam to another person or the student. 

  11. If the student is suspected of academic misconduct, please call the Independent Study office as soon as possible.

 

BYU Independent Study reserves the right to deny or revoke proctor certification should any of these policies not be followed, or for any other reason that Independent Study deems necessary under the circumstances.

How Exams Work

Proctors

Online courses include exams that must be monitored by a proctor from a certified testing center. The proctor’s job is to watch as students take exams to make sure all requirements are met. When you request an exam through your course exam page, you will select a proctor to oversee your exam. While a few courses require that exams be completed in writing on paper, most BYU Independent Study courses now offer online proctoring.

 

Online Exams

When you request an exam with online proctoring (if available), you can take the exam at home and as your schedule allows. Make sure you have a clean testing space, as the online proctor will require you to use your computer camera to show your space to ensure that no cheating can take place. Be sure to schedule your exam time at least 24 hours in advance. Follow these steps to request an online exam: 
 

  1. Sign into your course.
  2. Go to the exam folder or page in your course and request the exam. If you are requesting a final exam, make sure you have completed all previous course requirements. 
  3. Select the option to take the exam online in your own home. 
  4. Create a profile and make an appointment. 

 

Paper Exams

Some courses have exams that require students to show their work or write answers on paper. These typically include math courses and certain world language courses but may include other types of courses. Check your course syllabus to see if your exams are only available on paper.

If you need or want paper exams, please plan for shipping time to receive the exam and mail it back to BYU Independent Study. When you request a paper exam in your course, it will be shipped to your local proctor, who will then administer the exam at the certified testing center where they work. If you are enrolled in a class that requires paper exams and you cannot find a local proctor location, please call us at (800) 914-8931 for assistance.

 

Grading

Online exams that do not include any instructor-graded sections are graded upon submission. For mailed paper exams, submission occurs on the day we receive the completed exam in our office. Receiving the grade on the day of submission is dependent on all proctor and exam policies and procedures being completed correctly. Exams with instructor-graded sections are given to instructors on the day of submission. From that date, instructors are given two weeks to grade your exam.

 

Exams

Most courses will allow one exam retake for a $15 fee. Because not all courses offer an exam retake option, please refer to your course syllabus to make sure your course allows exam retakes. All coursework including assignments, exams, and retakes must be completed before course expiration. If requesting paper exams, please account for round-trip shipping time and reprint fees on exams requested more than once.

All coursework must be completed prior to requesting the final exam, including all other exams. No assignment resubmissions are allowed after the final exam has been requested. Final exams and available retakes must be requested and taken prior to the course expiration date. You must pass the final exam in order to pass the course. 

Please plan to take your final by at least three weeks before any deadlines (e.g., end of a semester) to ensure your final exam is graded well before your deadline.

Become a Certified BYU Independent Study Proctor

Proctor Roles

 

BYU Independent Study has contracted an online proctoring service, so most exams for our courses can be taken from home with no fee. Therefore, we don't have a great need to certify local individuals as proctors. However, special circumstances may require an in-person proctor. Ideal candidates for certification are individuals working in the following types of roles:

Color Paper Pencil Icon

High School Level Exams

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University Level Exams

Requirements for In-Person Proctoring 

 

 

We require our exams be taken in a supervised setting with an approved proctor at their official place of employment. Certified proctors must comply with the following: 

 

  • The proctor must provide a secure and reasonably distraction-free location where the exam can be taken. 
  • The proctor must verify the identity of the student with a government-issued photo ID. 
  • Paper exams must be securely stored in a safe location prior to and following the exam, preferably in a locked drawer or cabinet. They may not be duplicated in any way. Following the exam, the materials may not be turned over to the student for any reason, including for the purpose of mailing them back to our office. It is the proctor’s responsibility to return them. 
  • Online exams must be administered on computers belonging to the proctor’s organization. (Students may not use their own computers to take an exam.) These computers must be free from keyloggers, spyware, or other security compromising issues. They also may not be Chromebooks, cell phones, or similar devices. 
  • Online exam access codes may not be given to the student or anyone else. The proctor must maintain and enter them in such a way that they cannot be seen by the students at any time. 
  • The student, the exam materials, and the screen of any computer used to take the exam must remain visible to the proctor for the entire duration of the exam. 
  • The student may not leave the room during the exam, except for an emergency. If a student does leave the room for any reason, the proctor must notify the BYU Independent Study office and share all details that could be relevant in the event of an investigation into potential cheating. 
  • If a proctor is unable to administer an exam after having received it, the proctor may not turn it over to anyone else, including the student. Instead, they must call the BYU Independent Study office at 1-800-914-8931. 
  • If a proctor observes or has any reason to suspect cheating, the proctor must call the BYU Independent Study Office at 1-800-914-8931.

 

 

 

Unlimited Right to Deny or Revoke Certification 

 

 

BYU Independent Study reserves the right to deny or revoke proctor certification for any reason, at any time, and at the sole discretion of BYU Independent Study. Some examples of circumstances under which BYU Independent Study invokes this right include, but are not limited to the following: 

 

  • A proctor or potential proctor has a vested interest in the student’s ability to participate in extracurricular activities such as athletics.
  • A proctor or potential proctor is a relative, friend, employer, professor, tutor, or ecclesiastical leader of the student.
  • A proctor or potential proctor is not able to proctor without violating laws or regulations in the proctor’s country or locality or policies of the proctor’s employer.
  • Circumstances prevent BYU Independent Study from adequate opportunity to vet the proctor or potential proctor and/or the proposed proctoring location, at BYU Independent Study’s sole discretion.

 

 

 

How to Apply to Become a Certified Proctor

 

 

Apply

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