Not much. I contacted them a few months ago and they spammed and hassled me with a zillion e-mails and offers. They seem to be legit though. Here´s a link to the web site: WGU Watch out for the IM pop-up!!
WG and You I checked them out a few months ago. They are RA and the state government is apparently in their corner whole heartedly. They sent along a nifty computer CD and they did call a couple of times. I like their methods, a purely "competency based" program. Apparently if one has the foreknowledge or does a tad of study, one can test out of most of their "competencies" and get much further ahead twoard the degree than in the more traditional methods. They count these competencies rather than "hours of credits." I decided not to go their way when I found that they only counted tuition, books and fees in their fin aid COA rather than counting other expenses for a full time grad student. Otherwise, I would have probably given them a go.
I contacted them about a month ago, have received numerous emails, nothing in writing yet in paper form and have been unable to reach the admissions advisor they "assigned" to me even though I've left messages for her. At this point, I'm unimpressed.
WGU is definately legit, being the only institution of which I am aware to receive joint accreditation from four of the six regional acrrediting agencies. Their competency-based approach is an exciting alternative model for higher ed. Unfortunately, like a number of otherwise legit programs discussed in this forum, WGU seems to have put their efforts into instruction and marketing and needs some work in customer/student services. Tony Pina Faculty, Cal State U. San Bernardino
Yes, some. I was a student there, one of the very first to enroll, and the first to tackle its graduate exams. I've written about it in detail. See the archives of this site and those of the newsgroup alt.education.distance .
I don't doubt they are legit and I'd love to talk to a real person. I don't like the emails to "ENROLL NOW" (I just counted, I have 6 of these emails currently in my mailbox) when I have no idea exactly how it works or if it is right for me. These are the same tactics the AIU and U or P uses. It would behoove WGU not to fall into the same catagory IMHO.
I started at WGU several months back. They have a great concept but have a lot of issues to work through. I was assigned to a class to start and never heard from the mentor and the students were completely lost. You have areas of study and they involve tests and projects. Nobody had a clue what was required of them or how to do it. I was working on my English and it basically was COMM 2 on your own. The level of work required is definately credit worthy, but decided if I'm going to work that hard I might as well take the class. I am now at TESC and while have the same mentor abandonment issues, I like the guided study programs they have the best so far--that and their CLEP/Dantes allowances.
I'm a recent graduate from WGU. Yes, there were issues to be worked out, but the school is definitely legit. I have also shared some of my experiences (positives and negatives) on this forum, just search the archives. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Please don't interpret my comments to say WGU is anything but legitimate. They're accreditations are superior to most traditional schools. Like most schools it's the mechanics of operating that they're grappling with. If schools were to act like a business rather than academia they would probably satisfy their customers more.
trishkeller, Your experience at WGU is not unique. I was also left with some feelings of frustration at times, but because I had quite a bit of experience with the subject matter I decided to stick with the program. I was lucky enough to land an amazing tutor to guide me through the bulk of the program. From what I've been hearing lately, they have added on a new group of decent tutors. Best regards, Mauditt
I was looking at their sample degree path for an AA degree and I am a bit confused: http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/academics/aap_samples/aa_sample.pdf Is thier process similar to COSC or TESC or what?
No, not really. You need to talk to them. What is on the website is all there is, they do not have any catalog they will send you.
Dr. Gina, therein lies a large part of the problems with WGU. As students we were unclear about which tests and tasks actually had to be performed. You can find info on the website that shows the areas of proficiency and and the sub-areas that map.
I had previously communicated some of my frustrations to WGU administrators and my mentor. There were many factors causing the problems, the most obvious being the unique and new format of WGU. I cannot stress this enough: make a lot of noise with your mentor, and get to know him or her on a personal level. You pay for that service, make sure you get your money's worth. The mentors are there to set your curriculum and get you through the program as quickly as you can handle it. In my case, eventhough I was enrolled at WGU for a few years, when I finally got a mentor that I clicked with, I was able to complete all my Cleps, handouts, Capstone and portfolio in about a year. Let me be clear here, my mentor was not an expert in the subject matter I was studying/testing-out, but she was my constant guide, and my advocate when I needed it. Another important point is that the WGU environment was changing rapidly during my enrollement. Things could have gotten better or worse since I completed the program this past fall. If you're the type of person who likes everything laid out for you in terms of education programs, then WGU may not be the right fit. I understand that, right off the bat, WGU may confuse some of you. The link to the PDF document provides a sample of the path needed to complete a program. A mentor could make any confusion regarding that document disappear in a matter of minutes. As a matter of fact, if you send me a message, I could probably explain how that document relates to your path to a degree. When you become a student, that document on the web will have links in it to a list of tests/handouts that you will have to complete, as well as related courses. It also shows you where you are in the program, and how much further you have to go (how many tests/handouts you have completed, and how many still remain). It's really quite simple. Overall, my experience at WGU was a good one because not only did I get to prove my competency, I actually did learn new things. I also experienced and had even had a minor role in the creation and growth of a new education provider. The icing on the cake was the price that I paid for an accredited degree. Best of luck to all of you, regardless of where you choose to study.
