The-Ave.US

Yet another WGU Testimonial.

Since I first posted on WGU I get these comments. Many are anonymous. Others, like this one, are signed with an email address but .. when I ask for confirmation I dis not get one.

The emails always follow the same theme … Lets call the author “William”. This week’s author is “Mitch” Since I have not yet read Mitch’s comment, judge for your self if he is another “Willam.”

“William” is about 40, either dropped out of college or never went. He has on the job experience or is self taught and needs or believe he needs a degree to improve his ability get a job.

“William” says he likes WGU’s on line courses and thinks they are very good, He says how happy he is that WGU has courses that do not require him working with an actual expert in the field and says how helpful the WGU mentors are in assisting with Williams choosing on line, pass fail courses that will get him to his degree, ……?

William never addresses core issues with WGU … why does it hire mentors with no expertise in the fields being taught?, does WGU even have faculty experts, does the WGU tuition actually cost less than community college courses, does a WGU degree even help people get jobs?

All this brings me to two nasty questions,

SHOULD THE US SIMPLY HAVE AN EXAM SYSTEM TO GIVE DEGREE CREDIT FOR WORK EXPERIENCE?

or

IS WGU ANYTHING MORE THAN A DIPLOMA MILL?

Judge for yourself, is “Mitch” a student, a PR flack for WGU, or a victim of a system that values degrees above competence?

Mitch writes in response to a previous post:

‘I know I’m responding to a very old post but as a WGU student I’d like to respond with my experience and insight.

For me WGU has been a huge boon. I’ve worked in finance and economic business analysis for more than a decade. I work at the top of my game, am very good at what I do. Like a previous commenter my peers & subordinates all have MBAs. I have a GED. This disparity severely limits my upward mobility, as well as my career portability (I can’t get an interview at a different company unless I’ve personally worked with someone on the hiring team because without a diploma on my resume I wont get passed from HR to the hiring manager).

As a student who has attended both traditional brick and mortar schools and WGU I must disagree with your assertion that there are many ways to leverage outside experience to expedite progress at a traditional school. Most universities will not accept CLEP examinations for any upper division material and have a cap on the maximum number of CLEP credits they will accept, and furthermore require that at least a specific percentage of work be completed at that school. This means that those looking for clep study guides need to consider how to balance this with their life situation as it is.

For me the biggest frustration with traditional schools, and the biggest liberating factor for me at WGU was the elimination of time dependence of courses. What I mean by that is courses being bound to a traditional quarter or semester time block. If on day 1 I know 90% of the material for a course, I can’t stomach sitting through 12 weeks of review, rehash, and busywork just to get to the exam. At WGU if I can prove I know the material through passing the preliminary examination well above the minimum score on the final I am able to immediately move forward to the final. Likewise if I can complete the required projects for the course in a way that meets the course standards that course is complete and I am free to move on to the next course immediately. This has prevented me from becoming frustrated and disenfranchised with the education process, throwing my hands up and walking away furious.

This has allowed me to earn 52 competency units in the last 4 weeks by demonstrating knowledge I already had. Did I learn anything new? No I did not. Was I held to the same standard as a student finishing a similar course at a traditional school? Yes I believe I was.

For ten years I’ve worked 50+ hours per week, several years as a manager supervising a team of direct reports, in the field my degree will supposedly qualify me for an entry level position in. I don’t have 20+ hours per week and $48,000 for the next four years to end up exactly where I am now plus a piece of paper.

As of right now I’m on track to finish my BS in Business Management in 12 weeks, at a total cost of $3,035 including tuition, books, and fees. Does the average student graduate that quickly? No, they don’t. Student takes as long as is needed to finish the coursework to the satisfaction of the evaluators, whose standards are dictated by a board of experience professionals working in the field of study.

WGU requires a self-disciplined, self-motivated learner, capable learner. If you need your hand held, this is not the school for you.

I heartily recommend WGU for any professionals working in their field who need degrees to further their careers.

To read previous related posts, use the tag “WGU” below.