Western Governors vs U.S. Department of Education

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Gabe F., Sep 22, 2017.

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  1. Gabe F.

    Gabe F. Active Member

  2. Stanislav

    Stanislav Well-Known Member

    A good argument to change the law. From what I see, competency-based instruction does resemble correspondence study to a large degree. On the other hand, for a minority of students, it presents a vastly more efficient and cost-effective way of learning, and path to credentials. To think of it, so does correspondence. Making student aid available for it is a prudent decision.
     
  3. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    I remember in the past their Nursing degrees required students to pass clinical onsite at hospitals.
    RN to BSN requires 90 hours practicum being last assignment handed in. It depends on what state you're in, as there are about 5 states that are regulated meaning you have guidelines to follow and must have a preceptor to approve your hours.

    Their Teaching credential requires supervised Student Teaching hours at school.

    Correspondence schools usually don't offer such programs or are they?
     
  4. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    The law is outdated. If the Obama administration could pilot a financial aid program for credit-by-exam and PLAs, then the Trump administration could put forward a law that would allow financial aid for correspondence courses. However, I don't think Betsy Devos will enforce the recommendations of the OIG, so a new law may not be needed immediately.

    Now, WGU should accept some of the blame for being deceptive. The student mentors are not instructors. They are advisors who talk to you periodically to answer any questions and make sure you stay on track. Students don't talk to the people who grade papers, and the course mentors are rarely in direct contact with students. WGU tried to pass off student advisors as instructors. It is my understanding that most competency-based programs operate in a similar manner, but they keep getting approved for financial aid.

    The article says that the majority of their courses are correspondence, not all of them.
     
  5. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

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