Talk:Western Governors University: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 01:22, 30 August 2011

Student Paced Learning

The contention that classes can only be added one at a time and existing classes must be completed first is inaccurate. When I was enrolled at WGU I frequently added multiple classes at a time, and there was no requirement that everything else be finished first. The following is from the WGU student handbook regarding "Satisfactory Academic Progress" which lays out the minimum requirement for course load:

Enrolled Competency Unit Requirements

Undergraduate students must enroll in at least 12 competency units and graduate students must enroll in at least 8 competency units each term. Students receive a mark of Pass or Not Passed on their permanent academic record for any courses of study for which they enroll in a term, regardless of whether they attempt an assessment. Marks of Not Passed are counted as units that are failed and, as such, are counted against satisfactory academic progress. A grade of Pass indicates that the student has demonstrated competency at a grade equivalent of “B” or better.

Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress

SAP is evaluated at the end of every term. To maintain SAP, students must pass a minimum of 67% of the competency units for which they enroll in a given term. They also must maintain an overall minimum cumulative pass rate of 67% for all competency units for which they enrolled. Students are prohibited from receiving federal financial aid for transferring or enrolling in more than 150% of the number of competency units required in their current academic program.

I couldn't find any reference in the student handbook regarding adding classes during a term, so I can only speak from my personal experience. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 159.238.13.4 (talk) 13:55, 10 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I am a current WGU Student and the below is a cut/paste is from the current WGU student handbook: "Working Ahead or Accelerating Courses of Study"

Students who accelerate their studies may add additional assessments to the term once they have successfully completed all term requirements. The student and mentor work together to determine what is best for the student. Bringing additional assessments into the term is risky because should a student fail to pass the assessment, the student will receive a mark of Not Passed on the academic transcript and the mark of Not Passed will count against satisfactory academic progress

The general rule is that you are only allowed to open one course at a time until you have gotten a few under your belt. After that it you can have 2-4 open at any one time at the discretion of your mentor.

updates

I have removed the

as the page been updated and it is no longer written like an advertisement. (Preceding unsigned comment added by somebody else, not Jerodd)

I've placed the tag back, since the article does still feel like an advertisement. The article has no criticism of WGU yet has plenty of laudatory praise. Most of the links at the bottom are to WGU itself. The article also has sweeping claims. I'll be adding needs citation, etc. links shortly. Joshua (talk) 23:15, 9 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I will proceed to remove it. First off, criticism sections are to be avoided in articles (this gives the impression of bias AGAINST them). The entire article should be written neutrally. Commenting on the fact that they have specific courses, awards, or accreditations is not unfairly laudatory. If there is relative, negative information it should be included likewise. So if you know of any verifiable, third-party sources that have this type of info, please feel free to add it. Wikiwikikid (talk) 20:52, 30 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

This is definitely still written like an advertisement. The tag should come back. The claim that criticism sections are to be avoided is a bogus argument. Lots of articles contain contraversy or criticism sections. I'd feel more comfortable about the marketing content if we added a criticism section, assuming the criticism is properly sourced. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.18.215.89 (talk) 16:41, 20 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

updates

I have created new definition for the university as it was not including full image about the university. & I also added references.

updates

ok folks, here what I have done so far, as of jan 06, 09

I added a photo for the university
I fixed the Faculty & Staff counter
added complete new sections: Academic offerings, Learning Environment, Competency-Based Learning, Rankings and reputation, explain University Accreditation in details

Please help improving this article by giving a better definition for the University.

Best regards —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.123.170.34 (talk) 04:57, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Don't list specific degrees here

Wikipedia is not an appropriate place to list all the degrees a school offers. The school's web site and marketing materials are the place for that. In this article it is more appropriate to list degree areas, rather than the dozens of specific degrees --Utahredrock 14:56, 26 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The NCATE accreditation

The actual date of NCATE accreditation came at their fall meeting on October 21 or 22nd, 2006. The NCATE press release is dated 10/31 refering to that decision made over a week earlier. The WGU press release came out in early November, after NCATE's. --Utahredrock 18:24, 27 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Jacob Metro's comment posted 15 Feb 2007

Here are my recommendations for this article. First, check the establishment date indicated on the main page. I believe that the collaboration was begun sometime in 1995 though I can't find a date right now. This shows one reference for my suggestion of a 1995 creation date, "http://english.ttu.edu/kairos/2.2/news/briefs/wgu.htm".

Secondly, while it might seem marketing related, the kind and type of instruction/educational methods used need to be discussed in some detail because as these external sources show, WGU follows a competancy-based model as opposed to the traditional teacher-learner model: "http://chronicle.com/data/articles.dir/art-44.dir/issue-22.dir/22a02101.htm" "http://chronicle.com/data/articles.dir/art-44.dir/issue-22.dir/wgu.htm" "http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/innovator/2003/0306.html"

This is important in that WGU is the only university in the US at this time following the competancy model to be regionally accredited.

Finally, this article seems to be focused on the collaboration across political lines which is an important aspect to be considered. This is intended to show the broad governmental support in addition to the accreditation and business acceptance support functions comprising civic responsibility with regards to a new college or university.Jacob M Metro

Comment moved

I duplicated the entry, as I searched on "Western Governor's University" and recieved no hits. I deleted my entry, and added the content to this entry. Nobuddy —Preceding signed but undated comment was added at 15:32, 21 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Article references need work

The references in this article are a mess and could use some cleanup when somebody has the time.

The good news, however, is that there are plenty of them.--Utahredrock (talk) 13:38, 15 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Specialty of adult education

The opening line as of 7/15/08 seems problematic, even though it's sourced. What is "adult education?" It is not clear in that sentence. The term links to a separate Wikipedia article which itself seems too broad to accurately categorize WGU and WGU's students.

Somebody should re-write/clarify this.--Utahredrock (talk) 05:00, 16 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Removed for now

As of 7/16/08 I cut out the following from the lead:

. . . specializing in adult education.

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=783685

I haven't checked, but suspect some of those might be good references. Calling what WGU does "adult education" as stated above, is just too misleading.--Utahredrock (talk) 16:21, 16 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

WGU grants degrees

The 2nd paragraph as of 7/15/08 begins with "WGU grants degrees"

This should be rewritten with more clarity, but should still retain brevity in summarizing the offerings of this school. Future editors need to refrain from listing all degrees, which happened on this page at least once before.

It may want to say something like "WGU offers bachelor's and master's programs, teacher licensure, and other teaching certificates" or something along those lines. In other words an editor needs to be more specific without listing every program/degree. Utahredrock (talk) 05:06, 16 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

A new competency-based section?

Since WGU is so unique in its approach to higher ed it seems a longer treatment on what competency-based ed means at WGU would be useful.

How has WGU been a pioneer in this area? What external links are relevant to competency-based ed?

A separate and even longer article on competency-based ed in Wikipidia would be good too. There may already be something (probably is).--Utahredrock (talk) 06:51, 16 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

NPOV suggestions

The tag is correct—the article presently reads like an advertisement. While this is often true for articles about universities, it seems especially blatant in this case. I suggest that the following passages or sentences be deleted or modified (please discuss on a case-by-case basis):

from paragraph 2 of intro: "This innovative approach allows students to focus on learning what they need to learn..." "Innovative" and "focus on what they need to learn" are POV. Suggest delete passage.

from paragraph on aims: "WGU offers an affordable higher education opportunity...." Replace with "WGU aims to offer...."

from paragraph on aims: "the University focuses on the needs of individuals...." Replace with "the University aims to focus...."

from section on Teachers College: "the WGU Teachers College offers NCATE-accredited, competency-based teacher licensure and master's degree programs designed to produce highly-qualified teachers—teachers who are prepared to meet state and national teaching standards and be in compliance with No Child Left Behind (NCLB)." Sounds like an advertisement. Suggest delete except for the part about accreditation.

from section on online learning and mentoring: "Unlike other online schools, each student at WGU is assigned...." Comparison to other schools is irrelevant. Suggest delete "unlike other online schools".

from section on online learning and mentoring: "Prospective students should be aware that while they will be able to choose when to work on their studies, degree programs at WGU require self-motivation and are rigorous and challenging." Advice is inappropriate for an encyclopedia article, and "require self-motivation and are rigorous and challenging" is POV advertising-style copy and not encyclopedia-appropriate. Suggest delete sentence.

from section on online learning and mentoring: "When considering adding additional courses, students should keep in mind that processing recent test results, getting a new course added with the assistance of a mentor, and requesting and being approved for an exam all slow the process down somewhat, reducing a student's total available time to devote to any new class." Advice to the student is irreelevant for an encyclopedia article. Suggest delete entire sentence.

from section on competency-based learning: "Colleges and universities traditionally award credit for classroom hours attended...." This is false; they award credit for a passing grade in a course, based on the same competency-based criteria that this article ascribes to WGU: exams and marked assignments. From what I can gather from the article, what sets WGU apart is its self-paced nature; if that is correct, the article should mention that explicitly. Suggest delete indicated passage.

from section on competency-based learning: "As an online institution that provides its students the convenience of studying and completing coursework outside the classroom...." POV advertising copy, not appropriate for an encyclopedia. Suggest delete passage.

from the section on accreditation: "WGU reports that, in a recent survey of 80 employers, 95% of employers rate WGU graduates preparation for the work force as equal to or better than graduates of other universities, and of the student/graduate population surveyed, 98% would recommend WGU to others." The citation given is WGU itself, so this is a primary source. WP: Primary source says "Any interpretation of primary source material requires a reliable secondary source for that interpretation. A primary source may only be used to make descriptive statements that can be verified by any educated person without specialist knowledge." Since this passage from the article cannot be independently verified, and since it has nothing to do with the topic of this section (accreditation), I suggest the passage be deleted.

from the section on affordability: "While both traditional and online universities across the country have increased tuition in 2010 by as much as 8%,...." Mentioning "as much as 8%" instead of "as little as x%" is POV. It's also irrelevant to an article about WGU. Suggest delete.

from the section on affordability: "WGU has announced that it will continue to buck the trend by not increasing tuition through the remainder of 2010." Advertising copy. Suggest replace with "WGU announced on [give date and citation] that it will not increase tuition through the remainder of 2010." Or better yet, delete passage since as soon as 2011 comes it will be out of date anyway.

from the section on affordability: "This is comparable to tuition for three semesters at many state-subsidized universities where tuition covers less than half the true cost of education." A vague (which universities?) and unsourced comparison not based on the average university. It's advertising copy, and irrelevant to an encyclopedia article. Suggest delete.

from the section on affordability: "Perhaps more importantly from a student perspective, WGU’s competency-based degrees allow well-qualified students to complete their education and graduate more quickly, and therefore less expensively, than traditional systems that insist on prerequisites and a certain number of credit hours regardless of the student’s background." Again, this passage is basically advertising copy having the effect of putting WGU in a favorable light, rather than just reporting the facts. Suggest delete.

I believe WGU will still come across as an impressive university if the article just reports the facts in encyclodedic fashion and lets the reader form his or her own conclusions. 75.183.96.242 (talk) 17:33, 22 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Still Has NPOV Problems

This entry still has NPOV problems. The page still reads like a viewbook or advertisement for WGU. Shortening the article to just essential facts may reduce NPOV problems. For example, the discussion of the nonpartisan or bipartisan nature of the governors of the participating states may be true, but it really doesn't signify anything important in this entry. Indeed, it's unclear whether the governors' involvement is much more than ex officio. I agree entirely with the above comment--this is an advertisement, does not take a NPOV, and should be edited. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.190.82.130 (talk) 03:54, 12 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I think that this article has been substantially cleaned up. How do we go about getting it verified that it no longer reads like an advertisement? If it does still read like an advertisement, can someone provide a specific critique so it can be further improved? JordanHenderson (talk) 01:22, 30 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Accuracy dispute

The Wikimedia Foundation has received a letter (Ticket:2011040710017129) from a researcher who indicates that the accreditation of this university with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges could not be verified. This is an extraordinary claim, since the article claims that the subject is the only university accredited by all four. If it cannot be verified and a fact provided, it should be removed. --Moonriddengirl ^(talk) 13:08, 10 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The complainant seems to be correct. WGU's only regional accreditation is by the Northwest Association. The websites of the regional accreditors have up-to-date lists of accredited schools, and WGU is not on the lists for Western or North Central. I deleted the offending text. --Orlady (talk) 13:32, 10 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you very much. :) --Moonriddengirl ^(talk) 13:49, 10 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Should WGU Indiana be listed as an orphan?

Should WGU Indiana be listed as an orphan now that 5 articles link to it, and it now has 7 categories?--Jax 0677 (talk) 23:56, 20 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

@@ Line 151: / Line 151: @@
 This entry still has NPOV problems. The page still reads like a viewbook or advertisement for WGU. Shortening the article to just essential facts may reduce NPOV problems. For example, the discussion of the nonpartisan or bipartisan nature of the governors of the participating states may be true, but it really doesn't signify anything important in this entry. Indeed, it's unclear whether the governors' involvement is much more than ex officio. I agree entirely with the above comment--this is an advertisement, does not take a NPOV, and should be edited.  <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/65.190.82.130|65.190.82.130]] ([[User talk:65.190.82.130|talk]]) 03:54, 12 August 2010 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
+I think that this article has been substantially cleaned up.  How do we go about getting it verified that it no longer reads like an advertisement?  If it does still read like an advertisement, can someone provide a specific critique so it can be further improved? [[User:JordanHenderson|JordanHenderson]] ([[User talk:JordanHenderson|talk]]) 01:22, 30 August 2011 (UTC)
 ==Accuracy dispute==