COMMENTS ON WESTERN GOVERNERS UNIVERSITY?

I've got a BA in Liberal Arts and am currently teaching English in S. Korea. I'd like to do a grad level degree in Education Technology. I've looked at several programs and the one at WGU looks interesting. This is a new school and is still undergoing certification. Can anyone give me coments on this school? I'd like to hear what Dr. Bear thinks. Any comments on any other programs in Ed Technology? Thanks!

 

There is certainly no question of their legitimacy, and they may very well get their 'interagency' accreditation eventually.

There have been articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education, and elsewhere, suggesting that they are way, way behind their targets in enrollment, and other information that suggests that enrollments may be being 'beefed up' by member states. I have heard, for instance, from a reader who was confident that out of 51 students in the then-only Master's program, he was the only one paying his own way; the others were financed by the various member states.

After my talk at the DETC convention last month, as I reported here, I was approached by a man with no visible name badge, who did not introduce himself, and asked my views on GSU. I repeated essentially what I just wrote, whereupon said person announced that he was, in fact, an administrator at GSU, checking me out as it were, and I had it wrong.

I do not appreciate this sort of 'interview,' but I invited him to send me information so I could get things right. A month later, none has arrived.

And I still wonder why Indiana has become one of the member states. Have the recent typhoons blown them out west?

 

Indiana is in the mid-west.

That makes New Jersey the east-west.

 

...and Northcentral (formerly North Central) University is in the southwest.

And California University is in Pennsylvania as is Indiana University. There is also an Indiana University in Indiana, but there is no California University in California.

 

University of Beverly Hills in Iowa. La Jolla University in Louisiana. University of Asia in Australia. Kennedy-Western University where ever it is today. Pan-African University in Washington DC (sorta). And, finally, the University of Northern Washington in Hawaii!

Note: The University of Northern Washington's website, when rationalizing its lack of accreditation, quotes one Philip Forte! I almost fell out of my chair! (Kudos to anyone besides John Bear who knows who this guy is without looking it up.) You gotta love it.

Rich Douglas, who wonders where and how Dr. Forte acquired his doctorate, remembering when he used to be a "university president" with an M.B.A.

 

The happy word from Hawaii today is that the University of Northern Washington (operating from a mailbox service in Hawaii) has signed a consent degree, agreed to stop operating as a Hawaii-based "university," and pay a $30,000 fine.

Hats off to attorney for the state, Jeffrey Brunton, who is knocking them off, one by one.

 

Probably OK as long as the school is in the Western Hemisphere!

John

 

I suppose Oklahoma is in the near-west, sorta like near-beer.

Okie Bill

 

I'm looking for info

I'm just about finished with an AS at Ashworth College (Norcross, GA). I'm looking to complete my degree quite possibly at WGU.

I wonder what the competancy model means in terms of actual coursework and testing?

If I had a listing of the competancies and memorized the material for a course and then passed a test would I recieve a course credit for passing that class of competancies?

Is it like passing an MCSE or something, where you sit down with the instructors manual which lists each topic and all subtopics needed to be taught, and then you learn each topic and subtopic, exam, and move to the next topic?

I recognize that they are accredited now, which means that they are legit, but does anyone have any opinions on the level of difficulty of actually earning your degree by the competancy method?

Not that I'm looking for something easy, but I'm interested primarily in doing all my learning at home in my spare-time and then passing exams to prove I know the material. That's about all I want to do. Will WGU do this for me?

If I need to talk to an instructor about something, I want to be able to email or call him/her. What do you all suggest for someone looking for what I'm looking for?

Sincerely,
Jacob Metro

 

John Bear wrote:

> After my talk at the DETC convention last month, as I
> reported here, I was approached by a man with no visible
> name badge, who did not introduce himself, and asked my
> views on GSU. I repeated essentially what I just wrote,
> whereupon said person announced that he was, in fact, an
> administrator at GSU, checking me out as it were, and I had it
> wrong.

Is "GSU" here a thinko for "WGU"? Or how did we get from Western Governors University (Utah) to Governors State University (Illinois)?

 

They've already received it.

http://www.wgu.edu/wgu/about/accreditation.html

Probably a lot of those initial projections were a function of the internet 'tulip' mania that was sweeping the world at the time. I'd attribute WGU's relatively slow enrollment growth since then to:

1. The fact that until recently, they only offered a few associates degree programs and one MA.

2. Their unaccredited status.

3. Their unfamiliar format.

4. The dot.com collapse and subsequent recession.

Probably because the cost of joining the consortium was low and the potential benefits were high. It makes more sense to sign onto WGU (even if the word "western" is geographically inexact) than it would to start an Indiana school from the ground up.

 

Jacob:
Was wondering your experience with Ashworth. I too am enrolled in their criminal justice program. I have completed about 40 credits. Do you find that they are difficult to get responses. Just curious. Thanks

 

Hi Bill,


I think you're responding to John's comments from 2 years ago. Easy to do with resurrected threads like this, particularly since it was started in May of 2001.



Tom Nixon

 

Good Experience

I had a good experience in their Computer Information Systems Associates Program. The coursework required consistant study and the brief pre-exams were tough enough that I scored 75% on one of the Accounting pre-exams. That's the lowest I've scored in college in years (with the recent exception of some of WGU's exams). I don't really have too much a problem getting through to them. I've found it best to simply write up a list of my gripes at the moment and email them to the appropriate department. Of course I always CC myself and the registrars office so that I make certain I get a response.

On the phone, well...

When I started the program, I called them several times and found that their phone system was pushing the wait time into the 30 and 40 minute range. Since then, I've called back a few times in preparation for receiving my diploma (just to wrap things up; student account, finish projects, etc.) and have gotten through within 5 to 10 minutes. I was told that they had recently put in a new phone system and hired additional customer service representatives. That would explain the dramatic drop in hold-time.

As far as the final exams (at the end of each course)...

For me, I noticed that the first few questions were memory related and easy answer questions. However at about problem 4 or so, many of the questions would become interpretive in nature in that I would need to interprete the rules I had been memorizing/learning throughout the class in light of a particular problem or situation. For me this was challenging. For those who don't know, these exams are proctored and have a strict time limit. The proctor must be a respected member of society such as an employer (but not a direct employer, in contrast to WGU), a librarian, or a college professor.

All in all, I give Ashworth thumbs up for putting together a thorough(sp) and yet inexpensive program which when combined with their $35 per month price tag seems quite reasonable. As far as my skills go, I've been practicing in the field for over 7 years and I still learned a ton.

For me, the projects are the hardest part of the program. Finding the time to produce a quality project is pretty hard for me. I did it though.

I hope this is useful for you.
Sincerely,
Jacob Metro
AS CIM (currently pursuing)
BS CIS (currently pursuing)

 

WGU

Jacob wrote: >>I'm just about finished with an AS at Ashworth College (Norcross, GA). I'm looking to complete my degree quite possibly at WGU.

I wonder what the competancy model means in terms of actual coursework and testing?

If I had a listing of the competancies and memorized the material for a course and then passed a test would I recieve a course credit for passing that class of competancies? >>

I am encouring my sister in law to check out this school. Personally, I believe that independent learning is "real learning." Any legitimate entity that awards degrees needs to have a way to evaluate the learning before issuing the degree. I have seen posts on this board that downplay schools that seem to have "facilitators" rather than teachers but I strongly disagree. There is a movement for even teachers in public schools to become facilitators rather than "lecterers." Learning is something a student does rather than an action taken by a teacher. Teachers and other resources used by schools should guide and answer questions and help students find resources for their learning, and of course they should evaluate the learning. One way to evaluate the learning is with a comprehensive exam. I have no experience with WGU but from what I've read so far, it sounds good to me.