Behrend Positioning System (BPS)
This first-year student navigation system is an online guide to help students navigate the important milestones and "checkpoints" like completing New Student Orientation, participating in Welcome Week, joining clubs and organizations, registering for classes, and attending campus-wide events.
Helping students avoid roadblocks along the way by being alerted of important dates and reminders is also an advantage of the BPS. By taking advantage of the Behrend Positioning System Path found in BehrendSync, students will have help in navigating their way through a successful first year at Behrend.
Access BPS on BehrendSync
Enrolling at Penn State Behrend comes with many perks, including access to our online platform BehrendSync—specifically designed to help students get connected on campus. Once students receive a Penn State Access Account, they will have access to a BehrendSync account and the Path to BPS.
The Path to BPS
When students are ready to begin the first-year journey using BPS, they will first need to find the Path. The Path feature on BehrendSync is a powerful tool that allows for a more planful, cohesive experience. See the graphic below for instructions on finding BPS through the Path feature.
BPS Items
Like any journey, you must first get on the Path. Once students find the BPS Path on BehrendSync, they can begin to navigate through the first year at their own pace and make new connections along the way.
From month-to-month, items will be listed that can serve as navigation checkpoints for the first-year experience. Items can vary from milestone events like Welcome Week to resources like Attend Advisor Workshop. See the following as additional examples of BPS Items:
- Attend a Club Meeting
- Attend the Fall Concert
- Attend the Career and Internship Fair
- Schedule Courses for Spring
- Attend a Cultural Event
- Volunteer off Campus
- Attend the Blue Out Behrend Wrestling Match
- And More….
Attending BPS events and completing items on the Path are not meant to be a checklist or calendar system—rather, they are way points that ensure students are on track and heading in a direction that is helping them meet their goals.
Rewards Along the Path
Throughout the year, the BPS Path feature will track the progress as students are completing items. For students making significant progress, Reward Items will be announced and distributed at different times throughout the year.
As the navigators of their own journey, it can be challenging to stay on track and mark progress along the way. For some BPS events, students can use the BehrendSync virtual Event Pass to check in to events—this will automatically complete BPS events that are set up using Event Pass. Other events may not use Event Pass, so students will self-report their attendance in the BPS Path.
Regardless of how students complete the items or which items they choose to complete, the real reward is completing the first year feeling accomplished, more connected to campus, and more prepared for what lies ahead.
For More Information
Contact the Student Leadership and Involvement office.