Another insane scheme from the Maniac Craniac

There exist a number of competency-based degree programs that charge by semester rather than by course or credit. I've mentioned the evil scheme that has brewed in my mind at times- that one could concievably learn the course material via opencourseware before enrolling then have a quick ride through the competency assessments after enrolling. Ideally, in my master plan, one could finish a degree after paying for only 1 semester of tuition ($3000 and change at WGU, or $2000 and change at Patten for example). Whenever I've mentioned this, I've been met with eyerolls and yeahrights. Maniac is creative, but delusional, you say? WAIT!!! I'm not finished.

I've expressed curiosity about WEU's free degree programs which are... competency based. Are you getting the picture? Seeing what I'm seeing?!

Finish one FREE competency based unaccredited degree, then turn around and use both the acquired knowledge of the content and familiarity with the competency based model in pursuit of what would then be a quick, cheap accredited degree.

Poke a hole in my plan. Poke! I dare you!! (With facts instead of raspberries this time)

 

(pronounced wee-you) World Education University. It's something I've been very curious about and have posted a lot about since I first heard of it several days ago. Here's a good article that will explain the whole thing Technapex World Education University

 

Because I don't need that many. 9 fema and 2 exams and aI'm done with my BA from TESC. If my loved ones stear clear of the emergency room for a change, I should be done in two weeks or less.

I'm thinking big here with this thread. MBA-sized big.

 

An unaccredited school that claims to be exempt from licensure in California without specifying why. They offer degrees at no cost; apparently their revenue model is to flood their students' voicemail and inboxes with ads.

 

If WEU sucks (and I'll make sure I'm in a good position to both find out AND report back to this site, so that at least we have one inside perspective instead of just speculation), then the idea still stands that I could use opencourseware. MIT is one source where, as I just confirmed this moment by checking, they have courseware at the master's level that cooincides with every WGU and Patten MBA course. The question still is whether or not the courses are adequate. However, I'd be surprised if a school like MIT that is known for quality (even if not known for their business courses) would share junk with the public.

Then again, this is just an idea. On a number of occasions, I have blown up this board with post after post about my considering an MBA and have on a number of occasions decided both for and against it. I guess the only way the issue will ever be settled is if I go ahead and do it. Not that it would necessarily be worth it if I did

 

1) Curiosity. I'm intrigued by what I've read about the school and I want to find out if it is the real deal. I've had similar curiosity about other programs before and have been let down. Maybe this one will actually work out. Maybe :smile:

2) After finishing with WEU (hypothetically), I might decide NOT to go for an accredited MBA. I will have finished an MBA education from beginning to end (which is the real point. I feel the NEED to learn more about business, one way or the other), and have an actual (if not accredited) degree to show for it. Not for employers, most likely, but for myself. Sometimes after reading a book, I think "Did I REALLY learn anything from that, or did I just get through it?" At least the degree can help confirm to me that I DID in fact surpass a standard of competency.

3) I'm looking into competency based programs, for reasons stated in the first post. WEU is competency based. It would give me a much better idea of what I am getting into than to simply learn from a book or pdf then think I can fly through the content.

4) Lastly, as I've mentioned before, it allows me to be the guinea pig. If it turns out that WEU is the greatest thing since base 10 mathematics, it would be a great service I can do for the DL community to be a firsthand witness to that fact. If not, I can share that fact to others. It's a way of giving back! I have gotten so much free advice that has allowed me to get to a point that I honestly thought would never happen. I have a degree. Soon a bachelor's. Maybe more. I want to give back!

I'm a highly suspicious person, but I think you are going way overboard on this one. As long as they are not affiliated with the mafia, which only time will tell, I don't think that the worst case scenario is one to be that averse to.

 

Wow. I didn't even think of that, lol.

 

From reading this page How Online Courses Work - Patten University it looks like all you get graded on is a single final exam, which you take when you are ready. If there are no papers, or at least, only one paper (possibly included with the final?) for each competency area, it might be possible to finish much more quickly with them. Plus, it uses online proctoring which makes scheduling the final exam so much easier.

Update: Patten actually lets you audit courses without having to enroll. Wow. You can get a great idea of what you need to learn to pass the final exams before even paying them a dime. You can even take practice quizzes which evaluate your readiness. This is superb information. I'm becoming encouraged that this is actually doable and that I might actually go ahead with it. Not without doing a whole lot of thinking and planning first, though.

Each of the MBA courses requires the completion of graded exercises. That makes a whole lot more sense for a graduate degree than just a graded final exam, which is the erroneous impression I got from reading the page I linked to above.

Update 2: However, they offer a choice in how the course is graded, with the higher of the two methods being your final grade. One of the two paths grades the exam, a project, exercises and assignments. The other only include your grades for the final exam and for the project. It sounds to me (I've yet to confirm this) that this means you actually have the option of skipping the assignments and exercises if you so chose and just go for the project and the final exam. It gives you less wiggle room to make mistakes, but it can decrease the time required to complete everything.

 

Five or six years ago I thought of a similar idea, but the numbers didn't add up at all. But maybe these guys are smarter than I am, and have planned other revenue streams that they're not discussing publicly.

Also, the students they are most likely to attract are in low income countries, and finding advertisers interested in reaching them and willing to pay a lot for it might be challenging.

 

I'm in the process of applying for a well-paying job that offers thousands of dollars in tuition reimbursement annually. If I get the job, despite my curiosity, I might have to admit that WEU would be a waste of my time while milking my employer for all they have. Given my particular skill sets, there is actually a decent chance I might get it.