Posted by & filed under School Spotlight.

Western Governors University provides online adjunct instructors with a steady supply of job opportunities, offering us several job listings a week.  We thought it would be beneficial to the AdjunctWorld community to offer some information on this University as well as some clarification on some of the specific terminology they use to describe their various positions.  In other words, what is an Evaluator?  What is a Course Mentor?  How does a Course Mentor differ from a Student Mentor?

Who is Western Governors University?

Western Governors University is a non-profit, completely online University based in Salt Lake City, Utah.  They are accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.  Online classes offered at WGU fall under four different colleges:  The College of Business, The College of Information Technology, The Teachers College, and the College of Health Professions (under which their popular Nursing Program falls).  Classes are conducted in 6-week, asynchronous terms and students are often “cohorted”, meaning they tend to progress through their programs together, fostering a community among the students.  Although the school aims to keep cohorts together when possible, students are still able to proceed through their coursework at their own pace.

Undergraduate students at WGU are required to have a high school diploma or GED and must pass WGU’s College Readiness Assessment as well as an interview with an enrollment counselor.  The purpose of that interview is to determine if the school’s competency-based approach will suit the student’s needs.  Some programs require students to have an associate’s degree and documented work experience in the area they wish to study.  The school also serves a large military student population.

Tuition ranges from $2,890 to $3250 a term depending on the degree program.  The school boasts that they have not raised tuition since 2008 and tuition is a flat rate, meaning that regardless of how many classes a student takes during a term, the dollar amount is still the same.  This works in favor of dedicated students who take the maximum courses per term.

WGU employs over 2,000 full-time and 600 part-time faculty members.   Nearly all of their faculty have graduate degrees (94%-100% depending on degree program).  Most of their Course Mentors have doctoral degrees.

Competency-Based Approach

Western Governors University adheres to the competency-based model and is the first accredited school to use such an approach.  Because of their success with it, many schools are now adopting this model as well.  WGU tells their students, “You earn your degree through demonstration of skills and knowledge in required subject areas through a series of carefully designed assessments. You’ll take tests, write papers, and complete assignments. But rather than focus on seat time or credit hours, we make sure you graduate as a highly competent professional.”

The school has a “prove it” mentality, meaning students don’t pass based on sitting in class and accruing hours, they pass when they are able to demonstrate competency in the subject area through carefully designed assessments meant to gauge the student’s ability, skills, and knowledge and whether they can apply them to real-world situations.  They report that this model is widely sought-after by many corporations as it is the same model they use to hire, promote, or otherwise assess their employees.  It appears that one of the reasons they have adopted this model is that it allows students to really work at their own pace–if they can prove they have the knowledge, skills, and ability as evidenced by their assessments they do not have to take unnecessary classes or re-take classes they already show proficient competency in.

Faculty Positions

Faculty Positions cluster into several categories, each having their own unique job description.  Here is a brief overview of some of the most often-listed positions:

Student Mentors

Student Mentors follow individual students throughout their tenure at the University.  They are active in the student’s academic career through weekly conversations during which they provide programmatic information, assess the student’s strengths and developmental needs, provide feedback on assessments and offer coaching resources, provide moral support, and recommend other helpful services to the student.  Student mentors are not necessarily experts in any particular class, but do have knowledge in the overall degree area.

Course Mentors

Course Mentors are subject-matter experts who support students in a particular course.  This is more of a traditional “facilitator” role that many of us are used to, although it very much embraces the “guide on the side” approach.  In particular, Course Mentors, “Bring WGU courses of study to life with students via one-to-many or one-to-one forums, provide instructional help (proactively and retroactively) and facilitate learning communities, and provide content expertise for students who are struggling with course material.”

Program Managers

Program Managers oversee Course and Student Mentors to facilitate student learning and success and are responsible for the overall quality of of the degree program.

Evaluators

Evaluators are subject-matter experts who are responsible for determining student competency based on their review of the student’s work.  The separation of teaching from evaluation is meant to result in an unbiased, fair assessment of a student’s competency.

We at AdjunctWorld do not have a personal relationship with Western Governors University, but are working to create one in hopes of alerting this school to our community of able and willing adjuncts.  However, I will do your best to answer any questions you have or will be happy to engage in a dialogue about this school and the opportunities it provides.  Have you had an experience working for WGU?  We’d be particularly interested in hearing from  you.  Please comment below!

And, as always, we wish you the best in your job search.

Source:  Western Goverors University Website

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 41 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 8 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,599 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

18 Online positions – Sullivan University

6 Online positions – University of Roehampton

6 Online positions – American Public University System

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Grand Canyon University, Rasmussen College, St. Thomas University, Troy University, and Western Governors University.

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 36 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 12 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,642 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

10 Online positions – Colorado Technical University

8 Online positions – University of the People

4 Online positions – Western Governors University

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Grand Canyon University, Grantham University, International Learning Enterprises, Johnson & Wales University, Northcentral University, St. Thomas University, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Tiffin University, and University of Maryland University College.

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 37 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 18 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,610 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

5 Online positions – University of Northwestern Ohio

3 Online positions – Bank Street College of Education

3 Online positions – Carrington College

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at American Public University System, Aspen University, Briarcliff College, Eastern Kentucky University, Grand Canyon University, Liberty University, New Mexico Junior College, Profhire, Inc., The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, UNC Pembroke, University of Maryland University College, Vatterott College, Walden University, and Western Governors University.  

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 61 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 10 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,553 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

20 Online positions – The Chicago School of Professional Psychology

14 Online positions – Study.com

11 Online positions – Indiana University East

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Antioch University, Conquer Education, Florida Institute of Technology, Georgia Military College, Paul Quinn College, Rasmussen College, and Western Governors University.

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 43 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 7 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,543 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

25 Online positions – Northwood University

6 Online positions – Western Governors University

3 Online positions – Syracuse University

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Grand Canyon University, Moody Global Ministries, Sacred Heart University, and Walden University.  

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 25 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 14 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,471 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

7 Online positions – Northeastern University

4 Online positions – Miami Dade College

2 Online positions – Walden University

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Argosy University Online, Bethel University, Carrington College, Colorado Technical University, Concordia College of New York, Concordia University Portland, Grand Canyon University, Indiana Wesleyan University, ITT Tech, St. Thomas University, and Western Governors University.

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under The Online Student.

In last week’s email to the AdjunctWorld community, I waxed poetic a bit about a phenomenon I am noticing in some of my online and onground classes.  Several of you emailed me with similar experiences and I would like to share a bit and solicit some feedback from the AdjunctWorld blog community.

A couple of weeks ago, I started teaching a new section of an online psychology course for a university I have worked with for several years.  While I had thought that I’d seen it all when it comes to “first online class jitters”, when I logged in on the first day of class I was suprised by a new kind of vulnerability.  Several students in the class had private messaged me and confessed that not only was this their first online class, but that they were particularly anxious because they don’t like taking online classes.  Some explained further that they wanted to take the class on one of the university’s local on-ground branches, but were no longer able to do so because the class wasn’t offered on-ground.  These students made it clear that their preference was definitely for on-ground courses and asked for advice for taking online classes or leniency during the first week as they got used to it.

Interestingly, at the same time, I am also teaching at a small on-ground campus that will be closing at the end of the year.  The university will allow those students to continue via their online campus.  One night, I dedicated almost an hour at the end of the class allowing them to talk about it.  These students expressed concern that they wouldn’t be successful as they strongly preferred on-ground classes.

This takes a different spin than traditional “first time online” vulnerability.  It may be a stretch calling this a “trend” by any means, but it seems like in the push to increase enrollment across universities and to save money by closing up on-ground campuses, more students who would prefer to take on-ground classes are having to take their classes online.

We talk a lot about adult learners who seek online classwork because it fits their lifestyle and schedule.  But perhaps the voice of the learner who wants to take on-ground classes but finds those classes less available is getting lost in the shuffle.  Several of you have written to me concerned that we are moving away from the learner-centered approach to higher education and more toward an institution-centered approach.  I see both sides of this–I think institutions, especially the smaller private schools, are being forced in this direction lest they find themselves in financial trouble and not being able to provide education to their students at all.  Perhaps, in a way, by offering something rather than nothing they are attempting to be learner-centered, but not necessarily in a way that feels learner-centered to the student.

Another point that came up in some of my discussions with this community is that some on-ground instructors are being “forced” to teach online when they’d much prefer to teach on-ground.  This is an equally interesting phenomenon (dare I say trend) that perhaps we will discuss in later articles.

Some of you suggested that the hybridization approach might be the middle path here that satisfies the needs of all involved.  It does blend the best of both worlds and, as one community member suggested, perhaps going hybrid first before completely online will “diffuse the intolerance” for completely online coursework.  A gateway of sorts.  That makes sense to me.

Another concern expressed is that when students are “forced” to go online, it will harbor ill-will toward the institution and ultimately backfire with decreased retention rates.

Its a difficult situation for someone who enjoys teaching online and sees so many benefits of it for students.  But I think its important for us online educators to be aware of this sentiment among a select group of our students.  My tendency, at least in the past, has been to think of my online students as students who chose to be online.  Understanding that this might not be the case fosters a new kind of empathy.

What are your thoughts?  Are you noticing similar trends?  Any hypotheses as to the best solution?  Please comment below!

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 55 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 15 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,488 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

9 Online positions – Herzing University

8 Online positions – Western Governors University

6 Online positions – AIU Online

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Berkeley College, Bowling Green State University, Concordia University Portland, Henley-Putnam University, Kaplan University, Lee University, National Paralegal College, Northcentral University, Ohio University-Chillicothe, Southern New Hampshire University, Strayer University Online, and University of Maryland University College.

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.

Posted by & filed under Job Listings.

Each week we will summarize all the Adjunct jobs we’ve added to AdjunctWorld during the week, in case you missed them, and for easy reference.  If you’d like to be notified moments after we post new jobs, please LIKE our facebook page or follow us on twitter.

So, without further ado, this week we posted 31 new Online and on-campus Adjunct jobs on AdjunctWorld from 15 different schools. Currently there are a total of 1,457 Online Adjunct jobs listed there.  Click below to see a selection of these recently posted jobs:

 

9 Online positions – University of Charleston

3 Online positions – ITT Tech

3 Online positions – Walden University

AdjunctWorld’s latest 10 Online Adjunct positions

 

…as well as online Adjunct positions at Academic Coaching & Writing, Brandman University (some campus work, see description), Concordia College of New York, Franklin University, Grantham University, Meta Business School, NewSchool of Architecture & Design, Pearson EmbanetThe Chicago School of Professional Psychology, University of Scranton, Western Governors University, and Wilkes University.

 

Personalized Daily Job Alerts

Would you like to be alerted to the jobs in your discipline(s) right after they are posted on AdjunctWorld, rather than waiting for this weekly summary, or watching for our facebook & twitter posts?  Over the past week we’ve sent out hundreds of daily job alert emails to Premium AdjunctWorld Members.  Click here for a description of all of the Premium Membership benefits and how to subscribe.

 

Thanks! for being a part of the AdjunctWorld Community.