BY JOHANN NEEM
Johann N. Neem is Professor of History at Western Washington University and author of Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General issued the findings of a long-awaited audit in which it concluded that Western Governors University (WGU) had defrauded the federal government over $700 million in student aid dollars for pretending to be something it was not. Some of us, of course, have long known that WGU, which proclaims itself a university but has no professors, has been a diploma mill for a long time. Now the federal government’s own auditors have reached the same conclusion.
At the heart of the audit’s determination were two factors. A 2008 federal law requires distance learning institutions to “support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor” to qualify for expanded federal aid. The law set a floor to avoid a race to the bottom on public dollars. After studying 61,180 students in 2013-14, the DoE concluded that at least 62% took one or more courses that did not meet the law’s expectations. In other words, students received credit without instruction.
The second major determination by the audit was that WGU wrongly labeled its self-paced courses as credit-hour courses. Credit-hour courses are required to offer a minimum level of weekly instruction that self-paced programs are not. When WGU denied the charge, the audit noted that WGU’s denial was “contrary to its advertising materials.”
Back in 2011, when WGU was first coming to my state of Washington, I decided I needed to learn more about this school with no professors that policy makers seemed to love. So I gave them a call. I asked them about their professors.
WGU: “We don’t have a link for professors.”
I then asked how I would know who will be my teachers.
WGU: “We don’t have teachers. We have mentors. Mentors don’t teach your classes. You’re learning on your own.”
This sounds awfully like a self-paced course, and it sounds like I’m on my own academically. But that could not be. What if I struggle, I asked.
WGU: “If you don’t understand, you call your mentor, and your mentor will provide you resources—a link, a module, a webinar, something like that.”
Hmm…
Surely, things have now changed. Certainly, in the wake of the bad press surrounding the audit’s release, WGU’s corporate leaders would have provided their phone operators/recruiters better talking points. So I called again on September 30, soon after the audit’s release. Here’s a rough transcript of my conversation:
Me: I can’t find any information on teachers or professors.
WGU: Every “course is a preset independent study module system with course instructors—not a typical class when teachers teach you—it’s an independent study tool.”
The operator continued that WGU does not publish information on their instructors because “they’re not really teaching you” and “it’s all independent.”
So the teachers don’t teach? Isn’t that why WGU has been asked to refund taxpayers over $700 million? But I pushed on. I was confused. So I won’t have teachers?
WGU: “basically it’s an independent study, individually driven.”
What? So the operator/recruiter admits that WGU offers self-paced courses without adequate instruction, as the Department of Education’s Inspector General concluded. Every respectable school, I noted, listed faculty members on their websites so I would know who would be my academic mentors and teachers. Why would WGU not do that for their “course mentors”? (Remember: WGU has no professors; it divides up the components of faculty work—mentoring students, designing curricula, teaching, assessing student work, and academic program governance—into distinct jobs.)
WGU: “They’re supporting your educational experience, they’re not really teaching you.” They offer you “tips and tricks” to “help you understand.”
Tips and tricks?
That’s what it boils down to. WGU’s own phone operator/recruiter admitted to me that the school offers no education. Course instructors do not offer instruction, much less the kinds of deep, active learning that defines good teaching on a college campus. But once I use my tips and tricks to do well and pass my classes, I wondered who grades my work.
I would be graded by “course evaluators.” When I pushed for their qualifications, the operator/recruiter responded: “I don’t know the exact level of education for the evaluators.” But don’t worry. They don’t need to evaluate complicated work because, she earlier told me, “you’re graded directly off the rubric.”
Tips and tricks. Perhaps nothing better sums up what WGU offers. It provides non-traditional students who deserve more with less. But it ensures that they get a degree. That’s what policy makers love about it. But this is no different than what the Great and Powerful Oz offered to the Scarecrow. Learned folks, Oz informed Scarecrow in the film Wizard of Oz, “have one thing you haven’t got. A diploma.” Like the Great and Powerful Oz, WGU hands out diplomas to hide the fact that what appears magnificent is less so when one peers behind the curtain.
This article is not accurate. I took classes at WGU. I had qualified professors and they were active in the courses and I could communicate with them whenever I wanted/needed. There were also qualified professional mentors for student support. I also interacted with other students.
This article leaves a lot out. From what I have been able to ascertain, WGU course mentors and evaluators must be credentialed (most positions require a PHD). In addition, course mentors provide a lot of one-to-one instruction. The model (competency-based learning) recognizes that many non-traditional students are much more self-directed than their traditional peers. Describing WGU as a diploma mill is a stretch. [I am not, nor have I ever been, an employee or student at WGU; I’m just interested in what they are doing, so have done some investigating on my own]
This was written by a professor from a competing University which coincidentally, offers accelerated online degrees. WGU was singled out by President Obama as an example of what Universities should be. http://www.nbcrightnow.com/story/23240604/president-obama-recognizes-wgu-for-innovation
My experience with WGU was not a good one. The courses are about reading an online book, taking a quiz, then taking a final exam to pass the courses. The final exams are set to trick you. They tell you that you can earn a degree quite quickly, but I found that to be untrue. The only students who excel are avid readers, because that’s all the courses are about, reading pages and pages of information, and taking a test on everything you read. The student and course mentors are not helpful in the sense of being able to give advice on what to expect on the final exams. They apparently do not know what is covered on the final exams. The final exams are proctored by a company in India, and at times the language barrier makes it difficult to understand. I wasted a year at WGU and many dollars.
I am a student mentor at WGU. Prior to mentoring, I was a community college instructor. Course mentors predominately have PhDs in their disciplines as well as teaching experience, and they spend extensive time with students in one-on-one and group instruction as well as developing ancillary materials to enhance student learning. Assessments are developed by assessment development experts (unlike textbook testbanks) based on competencies. As a student mentor, I speak with students regularly about how their coursework relates to their work and goals, various study strategies, and and emgage them in discussion about what they are learning.
Also, I live in Bellingham, so if you would like to discuss alternative education pros and cons over coffee, let me know!
I am a recent graduate of WGU (BS IT). NOW I am sorry if you cannot graduate but being able to read is required of ANY college. Even when I took my first degree at a brick and mortar college, in needed to be able to read and write.
Online or not, that will never change. Lectures only cover some parts of any college course.
If you cannot read them reach out for help.
I not sure what program you are in but I had to take just a few tests. Most of my classes required extensive written papers sometimes multiple papers to complete my nursing degree along with hands on skills testing. I passed my nursing license test on the first try in less than an hour. I got a job immediately even before graduating nursing school. I had to read a lot but that is true with any nursing program. I will tell you that I was not a nurse before going to their school so it was all brand new to me. I have since completed my Masters degree.
I do not get what Professor Neem left out. He based the column on an Ed Dept report that offered empirical evidence for his claims, unlike the anecdotal evidence in the comments. Second, he is reporting on a phone call that he made to WGU, so that part is based on evidence too. I looked into Prof Neem—turns out that he has done some research on WGU. See his article: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/HE/2012-TA-Neem.pdf I also found on the NEA website this useful article on competency based education written by a different professor, but applicable here: http://www.nea.org/home/68532.htm
A “rough transcript” of a supposed phone call is absolutely not evidence, as anyone in academia should know. This is a biased, inaccurate article.
I see. More BS vomited out by the unknowing, claiming that WGU “stole our tax money” with of course the idea being that “all taxes are theft by the goberment” and how DARE they try to educate them people. Lower cost schools ? How dare you. I guess the “little people” need to learn their place ? Don’t be so “uppity” ?
This article was published October 30, 2017 and depicts the author’s personal experience with a WGU telephone operator in 2011. Mr. Neem provides a very slanted perspective of WGU since he leaves out information on the current enrollment process experience, how the course content is structured, how the professor and mentor roles and responsibilities are defined, and how the academic background and learning style of students impacts success with this type of academic model. In the absence of such critical facts, Mr. Neem’s critique is merely founded on anecdotal evidence. With his impressive academic achievements, I would expect Mr. Neem to have engaged in proactive and meaningful peer-to-peer dialogue rather than rely on a telephone operator as the basis of evidence for his assertion that WGU merely hands out diplomas or wait for the US DoE to render a decision on the audit recommendation before boasting of having fact-based expert knowledge of the matter.
As a current student, I can provide a first-hand account of the WGU student experience. In February 2017 I called WGU to inquire about their competency-based model and my experience with the operator was different than that of Mr. Neem. The operator asked me for basic personal information and provided me with basic information on WGU to address some of my questions posed before transferring me to an enrollment counselor for the program of interest. My experience with the enrollment counselor was no different than my experience with the enrollment counselor at reputable brick and mortar universities I had contacted. I graduated magna cum laude with a biological science degree from The George Washington University and began my WGU’s graduate program in May 2017 after researching and perusing information available from US DoE, regional accrediting organization, professor academic credentials, program course content and textbook requirements, and, at my request, a conversation with a course professor.
Since my enrollment at WGU, I’ve had a professor for each of my courses and each professor holds at least a graduate degree in the field of study with most holding both a graduate and doctoral degree. As an independent student, I have not interacted as often with my professors at my discretion. One the rare occasion when I have needed clarification or further explanation regarding any part of the course assignments or final project or exam, I have scheduled a telephone or computer interactive meeting with my professor to address the issue. As a student, it is my responsibility to initiate communication with my professor to discuss any issue with my understanding of the assignment or instructions provided by the professor. This is no different than my action taken at my previous brick and mortar school when assistance was needed on a one-on-one with the professor. When my WGU professors have not heard from me during the course they have reached out to me and inquired on my progress and have offered assistance.
In addition to the respective course professor, all WGU students have an assigned mentor to guide and pace their progress for the duration of the program. My mentor (who holds both MBA and PhD degrees and is a former professor at Columbia University) and I have a required weekly telephone meeting for which I select the amount of time needed–15, 30 up to 60 minutes–to discuss my weekly academic progress or issues that may hinder such progress or pace. This weekly live contact requirement with the mentor is documented and it is the student’s responsibility to comply with this requirement. Of note, to date, I have never heard of a “life coach” nor have I been told of such a coach and my mentor does not address course specifics in lieu of the professor as Mr. Neem asserts.
Yes, each WGU academic course is competency based; however, competency-based education does not necessarily diminish academic quality nor does it equate to academic fraud. WGU’s competency-based model has required assignments and the exercises within the readings are designed to build knowledge and reinforce comprehension. The rubric for the final project or exam requires the student to demonstrate mastery of the subject through written application of information synthesis, analysis and critical thinking to successfully pass the course. The use of independent evaluators for the final project mitigates professor bias and each course evaluator has provided me with substantive critique of my work.
It is the individual student’s responsibility to utilize all available resources and tools provided, to seek and engage and allot the time to be an active participant in their academic studies. As a current graduate student, I have been pleasantly surprised by the academic richness and rigor of my courses and my overall student experience with this competency-based academic education that I am considering pursuing a second graduate degree from WGU. WGU is not for everyone, but if you are a committed, proactive student with strong reading comprehension, research, writing, analytical and critical thinking skills, then you will have a smoother academic experience, you will reap the benefits of this competency-based model, and you will likely succeed at WGU.
For an experienced published author, Mr. Neem’s opinion piece lacks objectivity and underscores his intellectual arrogance and sophistry.
LOOKING FOR CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST WGU.
No doubt WGU is not for everyone.
My experience so far has been good at some points, great at others, and only once so far very frustrating.
If you can’t get-up an hour earlier in the morning, or log in after a long day at work to study or work on a paper, this university is not for you.
Mentors, course instructors, and additional resources are all available, almost 24/7. If you need a live instructor, go to a brick-and mortar. Join study groups. Do what is good for you!
WGU fits me and my family. I need to learn on my time, have resources available when I need them, and be able to take a final at 3:00 AM if necessary.
I am not as eloquent as Science Girl, but here is a “Shout-Out” – Thank You.
JBM